Modeling mechanical properties of polyhydroxyalkanoate during degradation in animal tissue

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers produced by several species microorganisms that possess favorable mechanical properties (e.g. strength and elongation properties). Different types of PHA polymers have been used in medical applications. However, in order to better understand the use of this polymer in the different applications, a thorough understanding of the kinetics of in vivo degradation is one of the major requirements. In this study, poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was subcutaneously implanted in mice and incubated for 2, 4, 8, or 16 weeks. After removal from the animal, the strength, elongation, mass loss, and enthalpy of the PHB were tested for each time point. From these data, a mathematical model was generated by Rayleigh's method of dimensional analysis, where polymer strength over tissue contact time could be predicted. To prove the model, previous data obtained by our group were used: poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate) [P(HB‐co‐HHx)] incubation in the presence of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK). It was found that the developed model was aligned with experimental results, could predict the strength of the polymer when in contact with cells, and the predicted strength follows the trend of the experimental data. Also, the dimensionless constant (K) value associated with the model is different for both experiments, where this constant, produced via experimental data, is used for construction of a homogeneous equation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of a post‐annealing process on microstructure and mechanical properties of high‐density polyethylene/silica nanocomposites

High‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and nanosilica nanocomposites were prepared for SiO₂ content up to 15 wt%. Microstructural characterization evidenced a homogenous distribution of silica aggregates with a mean size increasing with the filler content finally resulting in a rheological percolation between 7.5 and 10 wt%. Nanoparticles did not induce any significant impact on the matrix crystallinity but led to a real improvement on elastic properties accompanied with a large embrittlement above the percolation threshold. The effect of annealing near HDPE melting temperature was studied. Differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering analyses showed a significant change in the HDPE microstructure after annealing at 125°C. A large increase in the crystallinity (from 68 to 76%) and a clear improvement of Young's modulus (by 55%) were observed prior to polymer degradation. A valuable impact of silica particles on thermal stability was also obvious regarding the evolution of elastic properties for extended exposure times (850–1,200 h). © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 535–546     

Effect of constrained annealing on the mechanical properties of electrospun poly(ethylene oxide) webs containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this work, flexible nanofibrous membranes (mats) of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with and without multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were fabricated by electrospinning. The effects of annealing and MWNT concentration on mat morphology, MWNT dispersion within the nanofibers, and the mechanical properties of electrospun mats were studied. Annealing temperatures ranged from 60 °C to 64 °C [near the melting temperature (64 °C via differential scanning calorimetry)] for 4 minutes. Samples were annealed with and without applied tension (constrained and unconstrained annealing). Annealing at the highest temperature (64 °C), before the loss of fibrous morphology, significantly improved fiber–fiber bonding and therefore the tensile strength of the mats. Compared with unconstrained annealing, constrained annealing introduced fiber alignment (and therefore molecular orientation) along the tensile axis (direction of constraint) during annealing and resulted in a significant increase in modulus for all samples (with and without MWNTs). The use of constrained annealing may be a facile approach to enhance modulus in nanofibrous mats while maintaining high porosity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 787–796     

Improvement of thermal stability,crystallinity and degradation of poly(butylene carbonate) by incorporation of bio‐based poly(ethylene sebacate) segment

Multiblock poly(carbonate‐co‐esters) (PBC‐PESe) containing poly(butylene carbonates) (PBC) and bio‐based poly(ethylene sebacate) (PESe) had been synthesized successfully by chain‐extension of dihydroxyl terminated PBC (PBC‐OH) and PESe (PESe‐OH) using 1,6‐hexmethylene diisocyanate as chain extender. The chemical structures, molecular weights, crystallization behaviors, and thermal and degradation properties of the copolymers were all characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscope, thermogravimetry analysis, water contact angle, and hydrolytic degradation. The resulting copolymers PBC‐PESe all had a sole glass transition temperature (Tg), indicating the two segments, PBC and PESe, were well compatible in the amorphous phase. PESe segment acted a significant role on enhancing the thermal degradation temperature and hydrolytic degradation rate of multiblock copolymers. And the crystallization rate of PBC got dramatically accelerated after PESe segment was incorporated. However, the crystallization mechanism did not change. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of multiblock copolymers could be adjusted by changing the feed composition. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

低左旋度聚丙交酯的分子结构及体外降解行为研究

以辛酸亚锡为催化剂,135℃下低左旋度的l-丙交酯([a]_(Na)~(25)=—231°)开环聚合制备了低左旋度聚(l-丙交酯)[l-PLLA]([a]_(CHCl_3)~(25)=-119.7°),并用同核去偶~1H-NMR谱表征其分子链结构。用成纤模压法制备了该聚合物的棒材(φ=3.2mm)试样,研究了其在37℃的模拟体液(SBF)中的降解行为。结果表明,l-PLLA具有良好的力学性能,其初始弯曲强度(σ_b)、剪切强度(σ_s)以及弯曲模量(E_b)虽比聚(l-丙交酯)(PLLA)低,但均比聚(dl-丙交酯)(PDLLA)高得多,且材料表现出很好的韧性,呈非晶态,其分子量下降速率和失重速率都介于PLLA和PDLLA之间,可望是一种良好的骨折内固定材料。     

Generalized composite degradation kinetics for polymeric systems under isothermal and nonisothermal conditions

A composite degradation methodology is extended to the conversion-dependence function in order to explain the importance of multiple reaction mechanisms which might be considered to be involved in degradation processes. Based on two elementary reaction mechanisms, a specific form of the model equation is derived, which is capable of describing various types of degradation behavior showing sigmoidal rate as well as deceleratory rate. The conversion-dependence function is derived to be independent of the Arrhenius-type reaction constant or temperature, and thus the kinetic parameters are determined by analytic methods that have been developed for isothermal and dynamic-heating experiments without any modification or additional assumptions. The developed model equation is tested by predicting the isothermal master curve of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK), which is used as a model system in this study. The activation energies of the model system are analyzed using comparable methods for isothermal and dynamic experiments, which compare favorably in terms of the activation energy as a function of conversion. The resulting model equation, based on the kinetic parameters determined by isothermal experiments, can accurately predict both isothermal and dynamic-heating thermogravimetry utilizing the same constants and identical reaction mechanisms without additional assumption.     

一种新型可生物降解弹性体的合成与体外降解

利用乙二醇与丁二酸反应得到小分子的聚酯二醇;进而将小分子聚酯二醇与柠檬酸反应,制备了一种新型的可降解弹性体材料--聚乙二醇丁二酸柠檬酸酯(PGSC).在pH 7.4的缓冲溶液中测定了产物的降解性能.结果表明,合成的弹性体材料具有较好的可降解性(96 h后失重超过45%),可望在药物缓释、组织工程支架及其他生物医学领域得...     

Effect of annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of polypropylene random copolymer

In this work, polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) was taken as an example to study the changes of mechanical properties related to its microstructure evolution. Firstly, the toughness and fracture morphology were analyzed by notched Izod impact test and scanning electron microscope. Annealing at relative lower temperatures (<100°C), mechanical properties are slightly enhanced, which should be pointed out that significant improvements have been observed when annealing at relative higher temperatures (>100°C). Secondly, the study was conducted from the conventional differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X-ray diffraction, and small-angle X-ray scattering to analyses the changes in the crystalline and amorphous regions. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis was employed to explore the changes of molecular mobility in samples after annealing at different temperatures. Moreover, to find out the stress transfer between the crystalline regions and the amorphous regions, we did further analysis of the typical stress–strain curves and proposed the mechanism of microstructure evolution during annealing process. The results shown that amorphous rearranged and formed thinner lamellae when annealing at relative low temperature. While annealing at higher temperatures, the mobile and rigid amorphous regions rearranged into more perfect lamellae and the density of stress transmitters was increased significantly.     

In vitro degradation characteristics of poly(anhydride-imides) containing pyromellitylimidoalanine

The in vitro degradation characteristics of poly(anhydride-imides) containing pyromellitylimidoalanine, with either 1,6-bis(carboxyphenoxy)hexane (CPH) or sebacic acid (SA) were assessed. The copolymers contained up to 50 mol % of the imide monomer, pyromellitylimidoalanine (PMA-ala). Degradation was pH sensitive, being enhanced under basic conditions. Control of degradation times from 2 days to 2 months was achieved by the selection of appropriate monomer units in the polymer backbone. Monomers were chosen based on their solubility in aqueous media, as well as how they influenced the hydrophobicity and crystallinity of the polymer matrices. Polymer degradation was followed by ultraviolet spectroscopy and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Increasing the amount of imide monomer, PMA-ala, and the use of SA (rather than CPH) as the comonomer increased the degradation rate of the polymer matrices. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermal degradation and isothermal crystalline behavior of poly（trimethylene terephthalate）

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)(PTT) is an excellent fiber material.Its thermal degradation and isothermal crystalline behaviors were in this study investigated using thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(TGA-FTIR) analysis,differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The thermal degradation mechanism of PTT follows Mclafferty rearrangement principle.The PTTwithintrinsicviscosity(Ⅳ) of 0.74 dL/g has a maximum crystallinity...     

Effect of thermal degradation on rheological properties for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)

Thermal degradation at processing temperature and the effect on the rheological properties for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) have been studied by means of oscillatory shear modulus and capillary extrusion properties, with the aid of molecular weight measurements. Thermal history at processing temperature depresses the viscosity because of random chain scission. As a result, gross melt fracture hardly takes place with increasing the residence time in a capillary rheometer. Moreover, it was also found that the molecular weight distribution is independent of the residence time, whereas the inverse of the average molecular weight is proportional to the residence time. Prediction of average molecular weight with a constant molecular weight distribution makes it possible to calculate the flow curve following generalized Newtonian fluid equation proposed by Carreau as a function of temperature as well as the residence time.     

Effect of annealing on the structure and properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) β‐form films

Oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films consisting of β crystals were prepared by the solid‐state coextrusion (SC) of a gel film near the melting temperature (T_m) and by conventional cold tensile drawing (TD) of a melt‐quenched film. These films were annealed over the temperature range of 75–190 °C (below and above the static T_m) while the sample length was kept constant or constant loads were applied. After annealing with the sample length kept constant, the dynamic Young's modulus markedly decreased because of the relaxation of oriented amorphous chains, as shown by infrared spectroscopy. In contrast, annealing under a constant load improved the chain orientation in both the crystalline and amorphous regions, resulting in an increase in the modulus from an initial 10.5 to 14.3 GPa for the SC and from an initial 3.3 to 4.8 GPa for the TD. The SC, annealed at 190 °C with a constant load corresponding to an initial tension of 200 MPa, exhibited an extreme crystalline‐chain orientation of 0.998 and a modulus of 14.3 GPa, among the highest values ever reported for PVDF. Although the remanent polarization (P_r) of the TD increased slightly from the initial 62 to 68 mC/m², P_r of the SC stayed constant at 100 mC/m² independently of the annealing conditions. This suggests that the P_r value of 100 mC/m² approached the equilibrium value for this PVDF sample containing 3.5 mol % structural defects. Therefore, although the modulus and P_r of the TD increased slightly with annealing, the maximum values achieved by annealing were markedly lower than those of the SC and annealed SC. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1701–1712, 2003     

Effects of incorporation of modified silica nanoparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties of PMMA

Silica nanoparticles of various sizes have been incorporated by melt compounding in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix to enhance its thermal and mechanical properties. In order to improve nanoparticles dispersion, PMMA grafted particles have been prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from well-defined silica nanoparticles. This strategy was expected to ensure compatibility between both components of the PMMA nanocomposites. TEM analysis have been performed to evaluate the nanosilica dispersion whereas modified and non-modified silica/PMMA nanocomposites thermal stability and mechanical properties have been investigated by both thermogravimetric and dynamical mechanical analysis.     

Effects of thermal annealing on the viscoelastic properties and morphology of bimodal hard/soft latex blends

The effects of thermal annealing on the viscoelastic properties and morphology of films prepared from bimodal latex blends containing equal weight fractions of soft and hard latex particles with controlled sizes were investigated. The thermal and viscoelastic properties of as‐dried and annealed samples were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Throughout the thermal annealing, the latex blend morphologies were also followed with atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A particulate morphology, consisting of hard particles evenly dispersed in a continuous soft phase, was observed in the TEM micrographs of the as‐dried latex blends and resulted in an enhancement of the mechanical film properties at temperatures between the α relaxations of the soft and hard phases in the DMA thermograms. As soon as the thermal annealing involved temperatures higher than the glass‐transition temperature of the hard phase, the hard particles progressively lost their initial spherical shape and formed a more or less continuous phase in the latex blends. This induced coalescence of the hard particles was confirmed by the association of the experimental viscoelastic data with theoretical predictions, based on self‐consistent mechanical models, which were performed by the consideration of either a particulate or cocontinuous morphology for the bimodal latex blends. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2289–2306, 2005     

Synthesis and characterization of novel h‐HTBN/PEG PU copolymers for tissue engineering: degradation,phase behavior,and mechanical properties

The phase behavior of the as‐prepared polyether polyurethane (PU) elastomers was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), polarized optical microscope (POM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). This PU copolymers were composed of different compositions of two soft segments, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrolytically modified hydroxyl‐terminated poly(butadiene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (h‐HTBN) oligomers. The microphase separation behavior is confirmed to occur between soft and hard segments as well as soft and soft segments as the h‐HTBN is incorporated into the PU system, depending on soft‐soft and/or soft‐hard microdomain composition, molecular weight (MW) of PEG, and hydrolysis time of HTBN. The driving force for this phase separation is mainly due to the formation of inter‐ and intramolecular hydrogen bonding interaction. The PU‐70, PU‐50 samples with non‐reciprocal composition seem to exhibit larger microphase separation than any other PU ones. The hydrolysis degradation, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the copolymers were assessed by gravimetry, scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravity analysis (TGA), and tensile test, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the incorporation of h‐HTBN soft segment into PEG as well as low MW of PEG leads to increased thermal and degradable stability based on the intermolecular hydrogen bond interaction. The PU‐70 and PU‐50 copolymers exhibit better mechanical properties such as high flexibility and high ductility because of their larger microphase separation architecture with the hard domains acting as reinforcing fillers and/or physical crosslinking agents dispersed in the soft segment matrix. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Hydrolytic Degradation of Polylactide/Poly(ethylene glycol)/Nano-silica Composite Films

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/PEG/nano-silica composite degradable films have been prepared by solvent casting method. IR measurements showed that vibration of C–O–C group was confined by silica network. SEM results showed that nano-silica particles were dispersed uniformly in the PLA/PEG matrix. TGA results indicated that the thermal decomposition temperature rose with the increase of nano-silica content. The tensile strength of composite film increased by the addition of nano-silica particles into PLA/PEG matrix. The degradation rate of PLA/PEG/nano-silica composites increased with the acidic medium of degradation. On the other hand, the slower degradation was obtained in the neutral buffer solution. PLA/PEG/nano-silica composites were found to exhibit almost similar degradation behavior as that of PLA/PEG films.     

Preparation and mechanical behavior of PLGA/nano-BCP composite scaffolds during in-vitro degradation for bone tissue engineering

In this paper, the yield strength and elastic modulus of Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and PLGA/nano-biphasic calcium phosphate (nBCP) composite scaffolds, before and during in-vitro degradation, have been evaluated. Composite scaffolds were made by using PLGA matrix and 10-50 wt.% nBCP powder as the reinforcement material. All scaffolds, with more than 89% porosity, were fabricated by thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS). During in-vitro degradation (0-8 weeks), the PLGA/nBCP scaffolds showed both more weight loss and better mechanical properties as compared to neat PLGA scaffolds. The PLGA/nBCP scaffolds with 30 wt.% nBCP illustrated the highest value of yield strength among the composite scaffolds, before and after degradation, until 6 weeks. After 8 weeks, the yield strength values were very poor and close to each other. The values of elastic modulus for all samples were less than the half of their initial values after 6 weeks. However, after 8 weeks, the elastic moduli of all samples reduced to negligible values.     

Tuning the mechanical properties in model nanocomposites: Influence of the polymer‐filler interfacial interactions

This article presents a study of the polymer‐filler interfacial effects on filler dispersion and mechanical reinforcement in Polystyrene (PS)/silica nanocomposites by direct comparison of two model systems: ungrafted and PS‐grafted silica dispersed in PS matrix. The structure of nanoparticles has been investigated by combining small angle neutron scattering measurements and transmission electronic microscopic images. The mechanical properties were studied over a wide range of deformation by plate–plate rheology and uni‐axial stretching. At low silica volume fraction, the particles arrange, for both systems, in small finite size nonconnected aggregates and the materials exhibit a solid‐like behavior independent of the local polymer‐fillers interactions suggesting that reinforcement is dominated by additional long range effects. At high silica volume fraction, a continuous connected network is created leading to a fast increase of reinforcement whose amplitude is then directly dependent on the strength of the local particle–particle interactions and lower with grafting likely due to deformation of grafted polymer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Degradation of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) by annealing under iodine pressure

After room temperature doping of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) by iodine, the powders are annealed at different temperatures (370, 470, and 570 K) for 24 h under vacuum or under iodine pressure. The obtained powders were studied by infrared absorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Annealing of pure PVK powder increases the crystallization quality of the sample. Annealing with iodine induces progressive polymer degradation. At 570 K under iodine pressure the PVK is totally destroyed. The aromatic rings and the C(SINGLEBOND)N bonds have disappeared. NH₄I crystallites have formed, embeded in a degraded, cross-linked polymer matrix. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The effects of dioctyl phthalate plasticization on the morphology and thermal,mechanical, and rheological properties of chemical crosslinked polylactide

The tensile strength and thermal stability of polylactide (PLA) were significantly improved through chemical crosslinking. However, it became much more rigid and brittle. To obtain a material with good thermal stability and enhanced ability to plastic deformation, chemical crosslinked PLA with 0.5 wt % triallyl isocyanurate and 0.5 wt % dicumyl peroxide was blended with different contents of dioctyl phthalate (DOP). The advantage of using DOP is that it does not crystallize, has low glass transition temperature, and is miscible with PLA. The morphology and the thermal and mechanical properties of the crosslinked PLA and the blends of crosslinked PLA with various contents of DOP were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, tensile test, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The rheological properties of samples were also explored by using a capillary rheometer. The results showed that the DOP was an effective plasticizer for the chemical crosslinked PLA, resulting in a significantly decreased T_g, lower yield stress, and improved elongation at break. The plasticization effect was enhanced by adding higher DOP content. In addition, the DOP enhanced the crystallinity of crosslinked PLA, and all the crosslinked samples showed better heat stability than neat PLA. The apparent viscosity of the blends decreased with the increase of DOP content and a phase separation occurred when the content of DOP exceeded 12.5 wt %. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1136–1145, 2009