Materials evaluated copolymer

Screening tests were conducted on potential construction materials. The candidate materials evaluated included the following polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, TFE), fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy-alkanes (PFA), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (E-CTFE), poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These materials were chosen based on cost, availability, and information from manufacturers on compatibility with acid solutions. 

The molecular characteristics of the materials evaluated in this paper are provided in Table 11.5. In the notation here employed, the subscript numbers denote the mass fraction in weight percent and the superscripts give the number-averaged molecular weight M in Kg/mol of the entire copolymer. 

The copolymer composition equation relates the r s to either the ratio [Eq. (7.15)] or the mole fraction [Eq. (7.18)] of the monomers in the feedstock and repeat units in the copolymer. To use this equation to evaluate rj and V2, the composition of a copolymer resulting from a feedstock of known composition must be measured. The composition of the feedstock itself must be known also, but we assume this poses no problems. The copolymer specimen must be obtained by proper sampling procedures, and purified of extraneous materials. Remember that monomers, initiators, and possibly solvents are involved in these reactions also, even though we have been focusing attention on the copolymer alone. The proportions of the two kinds of repeat unit in the copolymer is then determined by either chemical or physical methods. Elemental analysis has been the chemical method most widely used, although analysis for functional groups is also employed. 

Biomedical Applications Due to their excellent blood compatibility (low interaction with plasma proteins) and high oxygen and moisture permeabilities, siloxane containing copolymers and networks have been extensively evaluated and used in the construction of blood contacting devices and contact lenses 376). Depending on the actual use, the desired mechanical properties of these materials are usually achieved by careful design and selection of the organic component in the copolymers. 

Many investigators have studied the in vivo degradation kinetics of lactide/glycolide materials (5,35-39). There has been some confusion in the interpretation of results primarily because of lack of consistency in nomenclature and careful attention in describing the specific stereoisomers evaluated. Nevertheless, the overall degradation kinetics are fairly well established for the entire family of homopolymers and copolymers. At the present, this common knowledge of the in vivo lifetimes of various lactide/glycolide polymers is a primary reason for their popularity. 

SEC-FTIR yields the average polymer structure as a function of molecular mass, but no information on the distribution of the chemical composition within a certain size fraction. SEC-FTIR is mainly used to provide information on MW, MWD, CCD, and functional groups for different applications and different materials, including polyolefins and polyolefin copolymers [703-705]. Quantitative methods have been developed [704]. Torabi et al. [705] have described a procedure for quantitative evaporative FUR detection for the evaluation of polymer composition across the SEC chromatogram, involving a post-SEC treatment, internal calibration and PLS prediction applied to the second derivative of the absorbance spectrum. 

Aliphatic polyesters based on monomers other than a-hydroxyalkanoic acids have also been developed and evaluated as drug delivery matrices. These include the polyhydroxybutyrate and polyhydroxy valerate homo- and copolymers developed by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) from a fermentation process and the polycaprolactones extensively studied by Pitt and Schindler (14,15). The homopolymers in these series of aliphatic polyesters are hydrophobic and crystalline in structure. Because of these properties, these polyesters normally have long degradation times in vivo of 1-2 years. However, the use of copolymers and in the case of polycaprolactone even polymer blends have led to materials with useful degradation times as a result of changes in the crystallinity and hydrophobicity of these polymers. An even larger family of polymers based upon hydroxyaliphatic acids has recently been prepared by bacteria fermentation processes, and it is anticipated that some of these materials may be evaluated for drug delivery as soon as they become commercially available. 

The materials selected for evaluation included three materials currently being used in these applications Biomer (Thoratec Laboratories Corporation, Emeryville, CA), representative of segmented ether-type polyurethanes Avcothane-51 (Avco Everett Research Laboratory, Inc., Everett, MA), a block copolymer of 10% silicone rubber and 90% polyurethane and Hexsyn (Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, OH), a sulfur vulcanized hydrocarbon rubber that is essentially a polyhexene. Also selected, because of their easy availability, were Pellethane (Upjohn Company, North Haven, CT), an ether-type of polyurethane capable of being extruded in sheet form, and a butyl rubber formulation, compounded and molded at the National Bureau of Standards. The material thickness varied, but the sheets were generally about 1 mm thick. 

Polythiophenes functionalized with monosaccharides have been evaluated for their ability to detect the influenza virus and E. coli (Baek et al. 2000). Copolymers of thiophene acetic acid 10 and carbohydrate-modified thiophenes 11 have been prepared via iron(III) chloride mediated polymerization. Addition of influenza virus to a sialic acid containing copolymer resulted in a blue shift of the polymer absorption maximum, resulting in an orange to red chromatic transition. Mannose-containing polythiophenes underwent color changes upon the addition of the lectin ConA or E. coli cells that contain cell surface mannose-binding receptors. A similar biotinylated pol5hhiophene afforded a streptavidin responsive material (Paid and Leclerc 1996). 

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