Polymer architectures and the relation to their material properties

POLY 555

Ann-Christine Albertsson, aila@polymer.kth.se and Anna Stjerndahl, astj@polymer.kth.se. Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden
Knowledge about the structure-property relationship of different polymers is used in designing materials for specific applications. The object for our research is to synthesize resorbable and biocompatible materials with inherent properties, which are possible to tailor in a predetermined way. Using ring-opening polymerization (ROP) we have synthesized different architectures and copolymers of aliphatic polyesters. The monomers used in this study were L-lactide (L-LA), 1,5-dioxepan-2-one (DXO) and ε-caprolactone (CL), which were polymerized with different initiators to obtain well-designed tri- and multiblock copolymers, as well as hydrogels and star-shaped polymers. We have studied the mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, and degradation processes of the synthesized polymers. The first studies of the properties of these materials show that the hydrophilicity and tensile properties can be tailored, by modifying the architecture and functionality of the polymers.