Synthesis, characterization and degradability of the comb-type poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone)-g-poly(l-lactide)

The novel comb-type biodegradable graft copolymers based on ε-caprolactone and l-lactide were synthesized. Firstly, 2-oxepane-1,5-dione (OPD) was synthesized by the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 1,4-cyclohexanedione, and was subsequently copolymerized with ε-caprolactone (CL) to produce poly(2-oxepane-1,5-dione-co-ε-caprolactone) (POCL) catalyzed by stannous(II) 2-ethylhexanoate in toluene. Then, POCL was converted into poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone) (PHCL) using sodium borohydride as reductant. Finally, poly(4-hydroxyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone)-g-poly(l-lactide) (PHCL-g-PLLA) were prepared successfully by bulk ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide using PHCL as a macro-initiator. All the copolymers have been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, DSC, and GPC. Compared with the random copolymer of poly(CL-co-LA), the elongation is highly increased. And the thermal analysis showed that the crystallization rate of the PCL backbone in the graft copolymers was greatly reduced compared to the PCL homopolymer. The hydrolytic degradation of the copolymer was much faster in a phosphate buffer (pH = 7.4) at 37 °C, which is confirmed by the weight loss and change of intrinsic viscosity.     

Synthesis and characterization of calixarene-based poly(ε-caprolactone) stars catalyzed by yttrium complex

Two calixarene derivatives (2a, 2b) have been synthesized and used as macro-initiators to prepare star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone)s (SPCLs) via controlled ringopening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of yttrium tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate) [Y(DBMP)₃]. The molecular weight of SPCLs was characterized by end group ¹H-NMR analyses and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The results indicate that SPCLs based on a calix[4]arene derivative (2a) are well-defined four-arm star polymers with reasonably narrow molecular weight distributions in the given molecular weight range, while SPCLs based on a calix[6]arene derivative (2b) are star polymers with not so defined structures. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses suggest that the maximal melting point, the crystallization temperature and the degree of crystallinity of SPCLs increases with the increasing molecular weight and are lower than those of the liner poly(ε-caprolactone) (LPCL) counterpart. Furthermore, polarized optical microscopy (POM) indicates that SPCL exhibits irregular spherulites with poor morphology and slower crystallization rate, whereas LPCL shows fast crystallization rate and good spherulitic morphology. __________ Translated from Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2007, 10: 967–973 [译自:高分子学报]     

Synthesis,characterization, and solution behavior of well-defined double hydrophilic linear amphiphilic poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly (ε-caprolactone)-b-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) triblock copolymers

Well-defined linear dihydrophilic amphiphilic ABA-type triblock copolymers of ε-caprolactone (CL) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) have successfully been synthesized with a high yield by combining the ring opening polymerization (ROP) and xanthate-mediated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization methods. The resulted block copolymer shows the formation of micelles in water as supported by light scattering. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) value of the micelle increases with the increase in the chain length of the poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) block. Cloud point of the block copolymers decreases with the decrease in the PNIPAAm chain length. The TGA analysis shows a one-step degradation and a lower thermal stability of the triblock copolymer than the PNIPAAm. The DSC analysis of the triblock copolymer shows the lowering of glass transition temperature (T _g), and melting temperature (T _m) peaks possibly due to the partial miscibility of the poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) block with the amorphous PNIPAAm block through the interaction of ester groups of PCL with the amide groups of PNIPAAm. The XRD pattern of the triblock copolymer shows a broad peak due to the suppression of the crystallization of PCL block owing to the mixing of PNIPAAm block with the PCL block.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Selenium-functionalized Poly(ε-caprolactone)

A selenium-functionalizedε-caprolactone was synthesized by introducing a phenyl selenide group at the 7-position.A polymer was obtained through the ring-opening polymerization of this monomer in a base/thiourea binary organocatalytic system.A living polymerization process was achieved under mild conditions.The resulting polymers had a controlled molecular weight with a narrow molecular weight distributions and high end-group fidelity.Random copolymers could be obtained by copolymerizing this monomer withε-caprolactone.The thermal degradation temperature of the obtained copolymers decreased with the increasing molar ratio of selenide functionalized monomer in copolymers,while the glass transition temperature increased.In addition,the phenyl selenide side group could be further modified to a polyselenonium salt,which resulted in a polymer with good antibacterial properties.The survival rate of E.coli and S.aureus was only 9%with a polymer concentration of 62.5μg/mL.     

Synthesis and micellar characterization of thermosensitive amphiphilic poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) block copolymers

Poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PCL-b-PVCL) block copolymers were synthesized as new biocompatible, thermosensitive, amphiphilic block polymers by a combination of ring-opening polymerization and reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and their thermosensitive micellar behavior was examined. The PCL macro-chain-transfer agent was first synthesized by converting the end group of PCL-OH to O-ethyl xanthate, which was subsequently used for the RAFT polymerization of N-vinylcaprolactam. The critical micelle concentration of PCL-b-PVCL (M _n,NMR?=?56,300?g/mol, polydispersity index?=?1.18) was 0.026?mg/mL. The mean diameter of the PCL-b-PVCL micelles determined by transmission electron microscopy was 55?±?25?nm. The PCL-b-PVCL micelles exhibited repetitive aggregation and dispersion during reversible cooling and heating cycles between 20 and 40?°C due to the thermosensitive behavior of the PVCL shell. Overall, the PCL-b-PVCL block copolymers have potential applications in thermosensitive drug delivery applications.     

Synthesis and biodegradation of poly(2-pyrrolidone-co-ε-caprolactone)s

Copolyesteramides of 2-pyrrolidone with ε-caprolactone were synthesized by ring-opening copolymerization. The copolymers were random-like and their melting temperature and heat of fusion were dependent on the polymer composition. Biodegradation by a polyamide 4 (PA4) degrading microorganism showed rapid degradation in the region of amide-rich polymer composition. On the contrary, enzymatic hydrolysis using a lipase resulted in a different tendency, that is, ester-rich copolymers hydrolyzed rapidly. Activated sludge makes copolymers degrade to CO₂ in wide polymer composition ratio. Copolyesteramides are expected to be applied as an environmentally-friendly plastics or bioabsorbable polymers in medical fields.     

Phase behavior and its viscoelastic response of polylactide/poly(ε-caprolactone) blend

Polylactide (PLA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) blends with various blend ratios were prepared via melt mixing. The morphology, linear and non-linear viscoelastic properties of the blend were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cone-plate rheometer. Three typical immiscible morphologies, i.e., spherical droplet, fibrous and co-continuous structure can be observed at various compositions. The elasticity ratio was proposed to play an important role together with the viscosity on the phase inversion because PLA/PCL blend presents a high viscosity ratio between two components. Two emulsion models were used to predict the linear viscoelastic properties of the blend with various morphologies. The Palierne model gives better fit compared with the G–M model, but both fail to predict the viscoelastic properties of the co-continuous blend. The viscoelastic behavior of those blends shows different temperature dependence due to their different morphologies. The principle of time–temperature superposition (TTS) is only valid for the co-continuous blend while fails with the rheological data of those blends with discrete spherical and fibrous domain structure. Moreover, although the discrete phase is difficult to be broken up due to the high viscosity ratio of the systems, the change of viscoelastic responses of those blends before and after preshear shows large difference, indicating that different morphologies have different sensitivity to the steady shear flow.     

Synthesis of poly(ε-caprolactone) diols and EO-CL block copolymers and their characterization by liquid chromatography and MALDI-TOF-MS

Polymers of ε-caprolactone were synthesized by microwave-assisted polymerization initiated with polyethylene glycols (PEG 200 and PEG 300) and monodisperse diols (mono-, di-, tri-, tetra- and hexaethylene glycol) and tin octoate as catalyst. These polymers were characterized by different chromatographic techniques (SEC, LAC and LCCC) and MALDI-TOF-MS. A comparison with commercially available polycaprolactone diols with molecular weight 530 and 830 showed that the new polymers had a much higher content of triblock structures, while the commercial samples contained considerable amounts of diblocks.     

Synthesis and characterization of organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes with poly(ε-caprolactone) side chains

In this work, we reported the synthesis of a dodecahydroxyl-functionalized macrocyclic oligomeric silsesquioxane (MOSS). The novel 24-membered hydroxyl-functionalized MOSS was employed as a macroinitiator for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) and the organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) side chains were successfully synthesized. The organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes were characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results of wide angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the architecture of the organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes did not alter the structure of PCL crystals. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) shows that the architecture of organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes significantly affected the rearrangement of PCL crystals. Compared to linear PCL, the organic–inorganic macrocyclic molecular brushes possessed the improved thermal stability in terms of the temperatures at the maximum of degradation rate and the yields of degradation residues.     

Synthesis and properties of poly(isosorbide 2,5-furandicarboxylate-co-ε-caprolactone) copolyesters

Bio-based poly(isosorbide 2,5-furandicarboxylate-co-ε-caprolactone) (PIFCL) copolyesters were synthesized from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, isosorbide and ε-caprolactone. The obtained copolyesters were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, intrinsic viscosity, GPC, DSC, TGA and tensile testing. The NMR characterization results confirmed the insertion of lactones units into poly(isosorbide 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PIF) chains. All PIFCL copolyesters were amorphous with T_{D, 5%} higher than 300 °C. The glass transition temperatures of PIFCLs with FDCA molar ratio from 74% to 45% were within the range of 132.1 °C and 72.4 °C. Tensile testing revealed that introduction of ε-caprolactone into PIF chain imparted PIFCL with excellent mechanical performance, typically, PIFCL polyseter with FDCA molar ratio of 45% had a Young's modulus 858 ± 92 MPa, a tensile strength 44 ± 4 MPa and an elongation at break 480 ± 45%.     

Complexation and eutectic crystallization in poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) and pentadecylphenol mixtures

Crystallization behavior via hydrogen bonding interaction in amphiphilic block copolymer/surfactant mixtures consisting of poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (P2VP-PCL) and 3-pentadecylphenol (PDP) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The P2VP-PCL/PDP mixtures exhibit eutectic crystallization behavior; the eutectic composition is approximately at 70 wt.% PDP. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) observation revealed the microphase structure in the P2VP-PCL/PDP mixtures and the unique eutectic morphology at the eutectic composition, which was further confirmed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) results. To our knowledge, this is the first example of eutectic crystallization observed in amphiphilic block copolymer/surfactant systems. The FTIR study proved that there are competitive hydrogen bonding interactions between P2VP block/PDP and PCL block/PDP pairs in the P2VP-PCL/PDP mixtures. On the basis of the SPM results and FTIR study, a model describing the microstructure of the P2VP-PCL/PDP eutectic mixtures is proposed. The amorphous P2VP blocks are expelled from the ordered eutectic lamellae formed by the crystalline PCL blocks and PDP, which deviates remarkably from the existing structural model proposed by other authors for poly(vinyl pyridine)/PDP and poly(styrene-block-4-vinyl pyridine)/PDP mixtures.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide] micelles for drug delivery

Amphiphilic block copolymers based on HPMA and ε-CL were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of ε-CL followed by RAFT polymerization of HPMA. A copolymer composed of 34 kDa PHPMA and 8.5 kDa PCL associated into micelles with CMC of 5.4 μg · mL(-1) . A novel retinoid, 3-Cl-AHPC-OMe, was incorporated into micelles with 25 wt.-% loading by dialysis method. The effective diameter of drug loading micelles was 117 nm. Incubation of micelles in PBS at 37 °C indicated 86 wt.-% of the drug was released after 96 h. Cytotoxicity studies performed with C4-2 prostate cancer cells showed the IC(50) dose was 1.96 μM after 72 h of incubation, whereas the micelles without drug showed no cytotoxicity.     

Nonisothermal crystallization and microstructural behavior of poly(ε-caprolactone) and granular tapioca starch-based biocomposites

The nonisothermal crystallization behavior of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) in the presence of varying concentrations of granular tapioca starch (GTS) was studied. Various crystallization parameters were studied by differential scanning calorimeter at four different cooling rates and these parameters were analyzed using Jeziorny, Ozawa, and Liu models. Kissinger method was used to estimate the activation energy (ΔE) of the PCL/GTS composites. The ΔE results suggested that the speed of crystallization was inhibited by GTS particles. Polarized light optical microscopy suggests formation of spherulite structure in PCL and PCL/GTS composites while no evidence of nucleation by GTS particles was observed.     

Thermal,mechanical, and topographical evaluation of nonstoichiometric α-cyclodextrin/poly(ε-caprolactone) pseudorotaxane nucleated poly(ε-caprolactone) composite films

Three pseudorotaxanes (PpR) comprised of poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) with varying stoichiometric ratios were synthesized and characterized. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses provided conclusive evidence for complexation between the guest PCL and host α-CD. The as-synthesized and characterized PpRs were used at 10 and 20% concentrations as nucleants to promote the bulk PCL crystallization in composite films. Both WAXD and TGA provided evidence for intact PpR structures in the composite films. Isothermal differential scanning calorimetric (I-DSC) analyses, performed at various crystallization temperatures demonstrated significant differences in the crystallization patterns among the composite films. In addition, I-DSC analyses showed higher Avrami constant values (n) in the PpR-nucleated composite PCL films (n ~ 3), indicating 3-dimensional crystal growth. In the case of neat PCL films, however, lower n values indicated crystal growth in 1-dimensions or 2-dimensions. Moreover, atomic force microscopic analyses showed large crests and pits in PpR-nucleated PCL composites, with irregular morphologies leading to higher surface roughness. To the contrary, the crests and pits were much smaller in the neat PCL films, resulting in lower surface roughness values. Finally, mechanical testing revealed higher tensile strength for PpR-nucleated PCL composites films, demonstrating larger load bearing capabilities. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 1529–1537     

Isolation,purification, and characterization of cyclomaltodecaose (ε-CD)

-Cyclodextrin (-CD) is a cyclic oligosaccharide, composed of ten -1,4-linked D-glucoses reported by Frenchet al. in 1965¹⁾, but has not been studied because of the difficulty in the preparation and purification of large-ring CDs composed of more than nine -1,4-linked D-glucose units. This report describes the purification and characterization of -CD. Furthermore, the crystal and molecular structure of -CD hydrate -CD 19H₂O) was elucidated by X-ray analysis.     

Synthesis,characterization, and hydrolytic degradation of polylactide/poly(ϵ-caprolactone)/nano-silica composites

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL)/nano-silica composite degradable films were prepared by a solvent casting method. SEM results showed that the nano-silica particles were dispersed uniformly in the PLA/PCL matrix. TGA results indicated that the thermal decomposition temperature rose with the increase of nano-silica content. The tensile strength of the composites was enhanced with the increase of nano-silica content up to 2%. The tensile strength increased with the silica content and reached its maximum (22.51 Mpa). The improvement in the water uptake ratio in the PLA/PCL/silica nanocomposites may be attributable to the presence of silica nanoparticles in the PLA/PCL matrix. After 15 weeks total processing time for the solution of alkaline and phosphate buffer, the performances of 16.23% and 3.65% for degradation.     

Synthesis and evaluation of biodegradable copolyesters of octadecane-1,18-dicarboxylic acid and poly(ε-caprolactone) diol

Copolyesters of poly(ε-caprolactone) diol and 1,18-octadecane dicarboxylic acid were synthesized by polyaddition. The copolymers have a "mixed" structure of ’polyester-polyethylene’. Characterization was carried out by using ¹H and ¹³C NMR, FT-IR, viscosities, DSC, and GPC. The tensile strength varied from 11.9 to 19.9 MPa, and elongation at break varied from 370 to 660 %, respectively. Biodegradability was evaluated by enzymatic hydrolysis (lipases from Rhizopus arrhizus and Candida cylindracea and an esterase form hog liver) and by soil burial test. Both tests showed that the copolyesters were characterized by enhanced biodegradability.