Tailored mechanical properties and degradability of polyesters by controlled molecular architecture

Advanced molecular architectures have been used as a toot for tailoring the mechanical properties and the degradation process of polymers for specific applications. Crosslinked poly(1,5-dioxepan-2-one), random poly(1,5-dioxep an-2-one-co-L-lactide), triblock poly(L-lactide-b-1,5-dioxepan-2-one-b-L-la ctide) and triblock poly(epsilon -caprolactone-b-1,5-dioxepan-2-one-b-epsil on -caprolactone) have been synthesized and their thermal and mechanical pr operties as well as degradation times and degradation products have been ch aracterized and compared. The stress at break of the synthesized polymers r anged from 4 MPa to 55 MPa and the elongation at break from 25% to 1200%. T he degradation time varied from 70 days up to 360 days. These polymers are suitable as films or microspheres for controlled drug delivery or as tempor ary tissue replacements e.g. for tendons or nerve guides.