Biomedical polymers crystalline polymer

Peptide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block copolymers are ofparticiflar interest, both from a structural and a functional point of view. Poly(ethylene glycol) is also often referred to as poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG). Throughout this article, however, this polyether will be referred to as PEG. In contrast to the hybrid block copolymers discussed in the previous paragraphs, which were based on amorphous synthetic polymers, PEG is a semi-crystalline polymer. In addition to microphase separation and the tendency of the peptide blocks towards aggregation, crystallization of PEG introduces an additional factor that can influence the structure formation of these hybrid block copolymers, furthermore, PEG is an FDA approved biocompatible polymer, which makes peptide-PEG hybrid block copolymers potentially interesting materials for biomedical applications. 

Un-cross-linked semicrystalline poly vinyl alcohol) hydrogels were prepared by solvolysis of the corresponding vinyl trifluoroacetate polymers and copolymers. The relationships between polymer crystallinity, hydrogel structure, and mechanical properties in the subject hydrogels were examined. Evidence was presented that comonomers acted to disrupt crystal structure and increase water content. The effects of copolymer structure on surface characteristics important to biomedical applications were examined, and the importance of hydrogel nonionic character was demonstrated through protein binding studies. 

Poly(L-lactide) is an ideal FDA approved polymer for biomedical applications because of slow-degrading characteristics and good tensile strength as compared to polyglycolide. The rate of degradation of poly(L-lactide) is very low and depends on the polymer crystallinity and the porosity of the matrix. Bulk erosion of the ester backbone via hydrolytic degradation generates lactic acid, which is broken down via the citric acid cycle into water and carbon dioxide [23]. 

Ding L, Davidchack R and Pan J. (2011) A molecular dynamics study of Young s modulus change of semi-crystalline polymers during degradation by chain scissions. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 5 224—230. 

Chitosan has found many biomedical applications, including tissue engineering approaches. Enzymes such as chitosanase and lysozyme can degrade chitosan. However, chitosan is easily soluble in the presence of acid, and generally insoluble in neutral conditions as well as in most organic solvents due to the existence of amino groups and the high crystallinity. Therefore, many derivatives have been reported to enhance the solubility and processability of this polymer. 

Some polymer materials, particularly biomedical materials and step-growth polymers, comprise crosslinked networks. The effect of irradiation on networks, compared with linear polymers, will depend on whether scission or crosslinking predominates. Crosslinking will cause embrittlement at lower doses, whereas scission will lead progressively to breakdown of the network and formation of small, linear molecules. The rigidity of the network, i.e. whether in the glassy or rubbery state (networks are not normally crystalline), will affect the ease of crosslinking and scission.. ... 

Arasabenzene, with chromium, 5, 339 Arcyriacyanin A, via Heck couplings, 11, 320 Arduengo-type carbenes with titanium(IV), 4, 366 with vanadium, 5, 10 (Arene(chromium carbonyls analytical applications, 5, 261 benzyl cation stabilization, 5, 245 biomedical applications, 5, 260 chiral, as asymmetric catalysis ligands, 5, 241 chromatographic separation, 5, 239 cine and tele nucleophilic substitutions, 5, 236 kinetic and mechanistic studies, 5, 257 liquid crystalline behaviour, 5, 262 lithiations and electrophile reactions, 5, 236 as main polymer chain unit, 5, 251 mass spectroscopic studies, 5, 256 miscellaneous compounds, 5, 258 NMR studies, 5, 255 palladium coupling, 5, 239 polymer-bound complexes, 5, 250 spectroscopic studies, 5, 256 X-ray data analysis, 5, 257... 

In their further studies on chitosan for biomedical applications, Lee et al. [133] reported a procedure for preparing semi-IPN polymer network hydrogels composed of (3-chitosan and PEG diacrylate macromer, by following a similar procedure to that discussed above. The crystallinity as well as thermal and mechanical properties of gels were reported [133]. Reports on the drug release behavior of the gels are not available. 

Crystalline copolyesters made by end-grating crystallizable segments onto amorphous polyaxial initiators exhibit a lower overall degree of crystallinity but higher tendency to crystallize from the melt into smaller crystallites as compared to their linear coimterparts. The polyaxial polymers are more suitable than linear ones for developing high-impact, more compliant biomedical devices as compared with their linear counterparts. 

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