New PVC materials for medical applications—the release profile of PVC/polycaprolactone–polycarbonate aged in aqueous environments

Medical grade PVC plasticised with polycaprolactone–polycarbonate (PCL–PC) was subjected to aqueous environments at different temperatures. The release profile during ageing was determined by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and GC–MS. At the same time changes in the surface composition due to, for example, migration of PCL–PC from the blend were followed by FTIR. Almost no changes in the material or its surface composition were observed during 98 days at 37 °C in water or phosphate buffer. Only trace amount of 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid the final hydrolysis product of PCL–PC was detected in the GC–MS chromatograms and the weight loss was negligible. Even when the ageing temperature was raised to 70 °C only minor increase in the amount of 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid was observed and the weight loss after 98 days was under 1%. Changes in the FTIR spectra indicating migration of PCL–PC towards the surface of the PVC/PCL–PC tubing were observed first after 70 days at 70 °C. Large increase in the hydrolysis rate of PCL–PC and almost complete depletion of PCL–PC from the blend was observed when the ageing temperature was raised to 100 °C.     

Qualitative and quantitative solid-phase microextraction gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of the low-molecular-mass compounds released from poly(vinyl chloride)/polycaprolactone-polycarbonate during ageing

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method was developed to quantitatively determine the amount of 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid in aqueous solutions. The SPME method in combination with GC-MS was then applied to identify and quantify the low-molecular-mass compounds migrating from a new poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) material, PVC/polycaprolactone-polycarbonate (PCL-PC) during ageing in water. It was shown that only a small amount of 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, the final hydrolysis product of PCL-PC, migrated from the blend during ageing at 37 and 70 degrees C. If, however, the temperature was raised to 100 degrees C rapid hydrolysis of PCL-PC resulted. In addition to 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid dimer, caprolactone, different carboxylic acids, acetophenone and phenol were identified. SPME-GC-MS was also applied to monitor the low-molecular-mass compounds migrating from the PVC/PCL-PC blend during thermo-oxidation.     

Synthesis of Poly(Adipic Anhydride) by Use of Ketene

Polyadipic anhydrides were prepared (a) from the mixed anhydride of adipic acid and acetic acid, (b) from the mixed anhydride of adipic acid and ketene in tetrahydrofurane solution (0°C), (c) by melt polycondensation of adipic acid with ketene, and (d) from the seven-membered ring adipic anhydride. The polymers were characterized by means of NMR, IR, DSC, and GPC. The polymer with the highest melting temperature was obtained by melt polycondensation of adipic acid with ketene (T _peak 76°C). The heat of fusion was approximately 40 J/g in all four methods. The number-average and weight-average molecular weights of the polyanhydrides were 2000 and 3000, respectively.     

Synthesis and Enzymatic Degradation of Nylon 66 Copolymers with Poly(Ethyleneglycol)s

Abstract

Nylon 66 (N66) copolymers were prepared by melt polycondensation of adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine with 5–80 mol% poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), where the molecular weight (MW) of PEG was 200–1000. The reduced specific viscosity of the copolymers was increased by the copolymerization. The crystallinity and melting temperature (T _m) of N66 components decreased with increasing PEG content, but T _m depression of copolymers at the same mole content decreased with increasing MW of PEG, suggesting that the copolymer structures are not of the random type but of the block type at the higher MW of PEG. The water absorption increased with increasing PEG content, and its increase was much higher at the higher MW of PEG. The enzymatic degradation was estimated by the weight loss of copolymer films in the buffer solution with and without a lipase at 37°C. The weight loss was enhanced appreciably by the presence of a lipase, and increased abruptly at higher PEG content, which was correlated to water absorption and the concentration of ester linkages. The enzymatic degradation of these N66 copolymers was much higher than that of previously reported PET copolymers with PEG. The abrupt increase of weight loss by alkali hydrolysis was fairly comparable to that of water absorption.     

Migration Study of Polypropylene (PP) Oil Blends in Food Simulants

Migration study in aqueous and olive oil food simulants was carried out on PP and its blend with oil mixture. It was found that after 10 days at 44 °C PP with oil content up to 0.83% had overall migration into olive oil less than 10 mg/dm². However, under high temperature migration test (at 110–138 C for 4 hours), the overall migration into olive oil was large for both the virgin PP and all its blends. The overall migration in water, 10% ethanol, and 3% acetic acid was smaller than those in olive oil under both migration test conditions. DSC and density measurement showed that addition of oil in PP led to smaller spherulite size and increased degree of crystallinity in the pure PP part. Small decrease in tensile strength in the oil blends was also observed but there was no significant change in tensile strength after migration test.     

Melt Polymerization of Adipic Anhydride (Oxepane-2,7-Dione)

Oxepane-2,7-dione (1) was prepared by the reaction of adipic acid and acetic anhydride followed by catalytic depolymerization under vacuum. the ring-opening polymerization of (1) was investigated in the melt, and was studied as a function of polymerization temperature, time and concentration of catalyst (stannous 2-ethylhexanoate). from ¹H-NMR and IR spectra it can be deduced that stannous 2-ethylhexanoate coordinates with the anhydride bond of the ring, and that the resulting species reacts with the monomer by ring-opening of the acyl-oxygen bond. These observations indicate a non-ionic insertion polymerization mechanism at the beginning of the reaction, but after 2 h at 80°C, anhydride exchange appears to be the dominating reaction. Ring-opening melt polymerization of (1) resulted in low molecular weight poly (adipic anhydride).     

由己二酸根桥联的新颖双U形四核铜配合物: [Cu4(phen)4(NO3)2(H2O)2(adip)4/4(Hadip)4/2](NO3)2•2H2O

邻菲罗啉、己二酸和硝酸铜在水溶液中反应得到一种新颖的四核铜配合物[Cu4(phen)4(NO3)2(H2O)2- (adip)4/4(Hadip)4/2](NO3)2•2H2O (其中H2adip＝己二酸), 并经元素分析, IR, UV, TG和X射线单晶衍射分析表征. 该配合物晶体属三斜晶系, 空间群, a＝1.0146(2) nm, b＝1.0261(2) nm, c＝1.8285(4) nm, α＝91.66(3)°, β＝92.19(3)°, γ＝112.76(3)°, V＝1.7520(6) nm3, Z＝1, Dc＝1.639 g/cm3, C66H66Cu4N12O28, Mr＝1729.47, F(000)＝886, μ＝1.294 mm－1, R1和wR2分别为0.0447和0.1141. 己二酸根通过4个羧基O将两个U形双核亚单元联接成具有一个对称中心的双U形四核结构, 其中每个U型亚单元包含晶体学上不对称的2个Cu(II)原子. 每个Cu(II)离子均处于畸变的四方锥配位环境, 除与己二酸氢根(Hadip)、己二酸根(adip)和邻菲罗啉(Phen)的N, O配位形成锥底平面外, 其中的1个Cu(II)与水配位, 而另一个Cu(II)则与硝酸根配位. 配合物晶体结构中存在着广泛的氢键和p×××p作用.     

Functionalization of the active chain ends of poly(vinyl chloride) obtained by single‐electron‐transfer/degenerative‐chain‐transfer mediated living radical polymerization: Synthesis of telechelic α,ω‐di(hydroxy)poly(vinyl chloride)

The chloroiodomethyl chain ends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) obtained by the single‐electron‐transfer/degenerative‐chain‐transfer mediated living radical polymerization of vinyl chloride initiated with iodoform were quantitatively functionalized by the reaction with 2‐allyloxyethanol (CH₂?CHCH₂OCH₂CH₂OH). This reaction was performed in dimethyl sulfoxide at 70 °C and was catalyzed by sodium dithionite/sodium bicarbonate. The resulting product is the first example of telechelic PVC [α,ω‐di(hydroxy)PVC]. A possible mechanism for this reaction was suggested. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1255–1260, 2005     

Phase equilibrium and mutual diffusion in the poly(sulfone)–dimethylsulfoxide system

Phase equilibrium and mutual diffusion in the poly(sulfone) (PSF)–dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) system have been studied at temperatures from 20 to 110°C over a wide solution composition range. The phase diagram for this system has been obtained and the effect of water on boundary concentrations has been studied. It is shown that the presence of water in DMSO has a considerable effect on the binodal curve. Thus, increasing the water content up to 1.3% by weight results in the displacement of the upper critical solution temperature by 30°C and the widening of the two-phase region. The kinetic regularities in mutual dissolution of components have been investigated. The concentration dependencies of the mutual diffusion coefficients in the systems studied are presented. The effect of moisture in DMSO on the mutual diffusion coefficients appears near the phase transition in the system. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Contamination of water and organic solvents stored in plastic bottles with phthalate ester plasticizers

Migration of phthalic acid esters into water, n-hexane, and methanol kept in polyethy-lene bottles or PVC tubes was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography with a variable wavelength u.v. detector. The content of esters in water kept in contact with PVC for one day was 0.44 ppm and the migration rate of dibutyl phthalate was 4.8 × 10^-5 mg h^-1 cm^-2 of PVC tube. n-Hexane stored in a polyethylene bottle for 7 days contained 6 ppm esters; the migration rate of dibutyl phthalate was 6.4 × 10^-5 mg h^-1 cm^-2 of polyethylene. PVC tubing connected to ion-exchange resin columns contaminates deionized water with the esters.     

Synthesis and hydrolytic degradation of aliphatic polycarbonate based on dihydroxyacetone

The six-membered cyclic carbonate monomer, 2,2-dimethoxy-1,3-propanediol carbonate based on dihydroxyacetone with methanol ketal protected carbonyl group, was prepared by a two-step reaction including protection and ring-closing, starting from dihydroxyacetone. The ring-opening polymerization of 2,2-dimethoxy-1,3-propanediol carbonate was carried out in bulk at 110–140°C initiated by stannous octanoate to give polycarbonate, poly(2,2-dimethoxypropane-1,3-diol carbonate). The effects of different reaction conditions including different catalyst, reaction temperature, molar ratio of monomer to initiator and polymerization time on the polymerization were investigated. Polycarbonate was obtained with the yield of 58.9–91.0%. The number average molecular weight of polycarbonate was in the range of 1.43 × 10⁴ to 13.82 × 10⁴ with polydispersity indexes from 1.31 to 1.91. The protecting ketal group was partly removed by hydrolysis using 50% trifluroacetic acid as a catalyst to give a functional polycarbonate containing 70% ketone carbonyl group, which improved the hydrophilicity of initial polycarbonate. The in vitro degradation tests were carried out in a phosphate buffer solution with pH 7.4 at 37°C, which showed that the modified polycarbonate degraded completely after 5 days.     

New poly(arylene ether)s with pendant phosphonic acid groups

Soluble brominated poly(arylene ether)s containing mono‐ or dibromotetraphenylphenylene ether and octafluorobiphenylene units were synthesized. The polymers were high molecular weight (weight‐average molecular weight = 115,100–191,300; number‐average molecular weight = 32,300–34,000) and had high glass‐transition temperatures (>279 °C) and decomposition temperatures (>472 °C). The brominated polymers were phosphonated with diethylphosphite by a palladium‐catalyzed reaction. Quantitative phosphonation was possible when 50 mol % of a catalyst based on bromine was used. The diethylphosphonated polymers were dealkylated by a reaction with bromotrimethylsilane in carbon tetrachloride followed by hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid. The polymers with pendant phosphonic acid groups were soluble in polar solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and gave flexible and tough films via casting from solution. The polymers were hygroscopic and swelled in water. They did not decompose at temperatures of up to 260 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3770–3779, 2001     

Photo-oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride)

The photo-oxidation of PVC has been studied over the temperature range 30–150°C. Initiation with ultraviolet (2537A) radiation has been correlated with the presence of minute amounts of ozone. The contribution of atomic oxygen and singlet oxygen (¹Δ_g) molecules to the initiation mechanism is discussed. The β-chloroketones probably formed in the photo-oxidation of PVC, decomposed according to a Norrish type I reaction without loss of chlorine atoms. The gaseous products of the photo-oxidation of PVC at 30°C were carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane. Hydrogen chloride was obtained only when PVC was heated at high temperatures. When PVC was photo-oxidized and then heated at high temperature, benzene was obtained in addition to hydrogen chloride. The gaseous products from the photo-oxidations of model compounds, such as 4-chloro-2-butanone and 2,4-dichloropentane, were also compared with those from PVC. Hydrogen chloride was detected only after photo-oxidation at temperatures of 25°C or higher. Therefore, it was concluded that hydrogen chloride is mainly a product of thermal decomposition. Since unsaturation was not observed in photo-oxidized PVC films, the cause of discoloration is unclear. When PVC was modified by stabilizers or additives, the oxidative degradation was further complicated by side reactions with the additives.     

Synthesis of polyamides by the polyaddition of bisimidazoline with dicarboxylic acids

N,N′-Dipropionylethylenediamine was synthesized by the ring-opening addition reaction of 2-ethyl-2-imidazoline with propionic acid at 220°C. By applying this reaction to polymerization, polyamides were synthesized by the ring-opening polyaddition reaction at 220°C. of 1,4-bis(imidazoline-2-yl)butane with adipic acid, succinic acid, sebacic acid, and terephthalic acid. The reaction product of 1,4-bis(imidazoline-2-yl)butane with adipic acid, which was proposed to be nylon 26, was compared with an authentic sample of nylon 26 and shown to possess a very similar infrared spectrum and melting point.     

Synthesis and Enzymatic Degradation of Aliphatic Polyesters Copolymerized with Trimesic Acid

Abstract

Network copolyesters were made from adipic acid and ethylene glycol with 10–40 mol% trimesic acid (Y). Prepolymers prepared by melt polycondensation were cast from dimethylformamide solution and postpolymerized at 260°C for various times to form a network. The degree of reaction (D _R), estimated from the infrared absorbance of hydroxyl and methylene groups, increased with increasing postpolymerization time and leveled out at about 90% after 4–6 hours. Heat distortion temperatures (T _h) measured by thermomechanical analysis increased greatly from ?83 to 48°C upon the incorporation of Y. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction patterns showed that the copolymer films are amorphous. Density, tensile strength, and Young's modulus decreased for the copolymers with 10–30 mol% Y, whereas they increased drastically for the copolymer with 40 mol% Y. The enzymatic degradation was estimated by the weight loss of the copolymer films in buffer solutions with a lipase at 37°C. The weight loss decreased remarkably with increasing Y and showed no weight loss for the copolymer with 40 mol% Y. On the other hand, the weight loss by alkali hydrolysis increased for the copolymers with 10 and 20 mol% Y, implying a difference in the degradation mechanism between enzymatic degradation and alkali hydrolysis.     

Synthesis,characterization, and evaluation of enzymatically degradable poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) hydrogels for colon‐specific drug delivery

The enzymatically degradable poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) hydrogels were prepared using 4,4^′‐bis(methacryloylamino)azobenzene (BMAAB) as the crosslinker. It was found that the incorporated N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer did not change the enzymatic degradation of hydrogel, but remarkably enhanced the loading of protein drug. The hydrogels exhibited a phase transition temperature between 4°C (refrigerator temperature) and 37°C (human body temperature). Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model drug was loaded into the hydrogels by soaking the gels in a pH 7.4 buffer solution at 4°C, where the hydrogel was in a swollen status. The high swelling of hydrogels at 4°C enhanced the loading of BSA (loading capability, ca. 144.5 mg BSA/g gel). The drug was released gradually in the pH 7.4 buffer solution at 37°C, where the hydrogel was in a shrunken state. In contrast, the enzymatic degradation of hydrogels resulted in complete release of BSA in pH 7.4 buffer solution containing the cecal suspension at 37°C (cumulative release: ca. 100 mg BSA/g gel after 4 days). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel preparation of electrically conducting poly (vinyl chloride) by photo-dehydrochlorination from poly (vinyl chloride)/polypyrrole composite film

Polypyrrole (PPy) was deposited electrochemically on a platinum plate from a nitric acid solution of pyrrole. The PVC/PPy composite film was finally obtained by casting poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) onto the PPy electrode from a tetrahydrofuran solution of PVC. The prepared composite film was irradiated at 90°C with a low-pressure mercury lamp in the stream of hydrogen gas saturated with steam, and the PVC film was dehydrochlorinated, leading to the formation of conjugated polyene. The electrical conductivity (σ) of the PVC film in the irradiated composite film was reveled: σ=2.51 × 10^?5S cm^?1. By iodine doping, σ was further enhanced up to 5.04 X 10^?3 S cm^?1. The tensile strength of the irradiated composite film became larger than that of the original PVC film; i.e., the stress at break was: 461 (composite film); 401 kg cm^?2 (PVC). These results were brought about by the doping of radical species to the conjugated polyene. The anion, NO^?₃, doped during the electrodeposition of PPy was photodecomposed to generate radical NO₂ and this species was doped to the polyene, resulting in the formation of electrically conductive PVC and mechanically improved composite film. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Biodegradable Poly(ester hydrazide)s via Enzymatic Polymerization

Summary: The reaction of hydrazine with ethyl glycolate results in 1,2‐bisglycoylhydrazine, a monomer that was used for the lipase‐catalyzed synthesis of biodegradable poly(ester hydrazide)s. The polymers derived from the hydrazide‐containing monomer and vinyl‐activated adipic, suberic, and sebacic acid, respectively, showed low melting temperatures of 136 to 141 °C and are thermally stable up to 300 °C. The aliphatic poly(ester hydrazide)s (PEHs) are highly crystalline, as proven by polarization microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Further, the PEHs represent the first described biodegradable poly(hydrazide)s. They degrade in the presence of lipase at 37 °C within a few weeks.

Synthetic route to poly(ester hydrazide)s.     

Melt‐processable poly(oxyphenylalkanoate): Synthesis,properties, and in vitro degradation of poly(4‐oxyphenylacetate)

The homopolyester of 4‐hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HPAA) was synthesized by one‐pot, slurry‐melt, and acidolysis melt polymerization techniques and was characterized by its inherent viscosity and IR and NMR spectra. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing light microscopy (PLM), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) studies of the homopolymer were carried out for its thermal and phase behavior. The results indicated that the yield and molecular weight of the polymer depended on the method of preparation; moreover, the acidolysis melt polymerization of the pure acetoxy derivative of HPAA was the best method for the preparation of high molecular weight poly(4‐oxyphenylacetate) (polyHPAA) without side reactions. DSC and PLM studies also showed that the thermal and optical properties depended largely on the polymerization conditions and inherent viscosity values. PolyHPAA did not show a clear texture typical of liquid‐crystalline polymers, whereas after cooling from the melt, structures similar to spherulitic crystals were observed. WAXD patterns showed a crystalline nature. The in vitro degradability of the polymer was also studied via the water absorption in buffer solutions of pH 7 and 10 at 30 and 60 °C; this was followed by Fourier transform infrared, inherent viscosity, DSC, thermogravimetric analysis, WAXD, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Unlike Vectra®, which showed no degradation, polyHPAA showed an increase in hydrolytic degradation from 5.0 and 6.0% at 30 °C to 12.5 and 15.0% at 60 °C after 350 h in buffer solutions of pH 7 and 10, respectively. The results indicated a possible biomedical prosthetic application of poly(oxyphenylalkanoate)s such as polyHPAA with better crystallinity coupled with degradability as a substitute for poly(hydroxyalkanoates). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2430–2443, 2001