Condensation Polymer of Glycerol

Preparation 3-2 Poly(glycerol sebacate) was synthesized by the polycondensation of equimolar amounts of glycerol and sebacic acid at 120°C. The preferred molar ratios of glycerol to diacid range from 1 1 to 1 1.5. Biocompatible catalysts may be used to reduce reaction temperature, shorten reaction time, and increase individual chain length. An example for an FDA-approved catalyst is stannous octoate. 

The polycondensation yields a transparent, nearly colorless elastomer that does not swell or dissolve in water (43). The chemical analysis reveals that the polymerization reaction has a yield of close to 100% (43). 

The hydroxyl groups may be modified by ferf-butyl, benzyl, or other hydrophobic groups in order to reduce the rate of degradation. On the other hand, the modification with hydrophilic groups, e.g., sugars or amino acids, will increase the rate of degradation (43). 

The interaction of the pol rmer with cells, biomolecules may be controlled by coupling bioactive agents to the hydroxyl groups (44, 45). 

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