Polyanhydrides characterization

Deong, K. W., Brott, B. C., and Danger, R., Bioerodible polyanhydrides as drug-carrier matrices. I. Characterization, degradation and release characteristics, J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 19, 941-955, 1985. 

Polyanhydrides based on unsaturated and fatty acid-derived monomers are shown in Table III. Poly(fumaric acid) (PFA) was fist synthesized by Domb et al. (1991) by both melt polycondensation and solution polymerization. The copolymer of fumaric acid and sebacic acid (P(FA-SA)) has been synthesized and characterized (Domb et al., 1991 Mathiowitz et al., 1990b). The mucoadhesive properties of this polymer... 

The synthesis of poly(anhydride-co-amide)s (Table VII) of various chemistries was pursued by Hartmann and Schulz (1989) as a means of improving biocompatibility and extending the degradation times of polyanhydrides. This work also contains calorimetry data on the thermal transitions and spectroscopic characterization. 

B. Characterization of Thermal Properties, Crystallinity, and Phase Behavior of Polyanhydrides... 

It is important to characterize the thermal properties of polyanhydrides that are proposed for drug delivery applications, as changes in crystallinity... 

Most of the commonly used polyanhydrides, including the copolymers, are semicrystalline. Crystallinity is characterized by a variety of techniques... 

The development of new polyanhydrides has sparked researchers to developed new device fabrication and characterization techniques, instrumentation, and experimental and mathematical models that can be extended to the study of other systems. The growing interest in developing new chemistries and drug release systems based on polyanhydrides promises a rich harvest of new applications and drug release technologies, as well as new characterization techniques that can be extended to other materials. Future endeavors will likely focus on multicomponent polyanhydride systems, combining new chemical functionalities to tailor polyanhydrides for specific applications. 

Several review articles on biodegradable polymers and polyesters have appeared in the literature [12-22]. Extensive studies have been carried out by Al-bertsson and coworkers developing biodegradable polymers such as polyesters, polyanhydrides, polycarbonates, etc., and relating the structure and properties of aliphatic polyesters prepared by ROP and polycondensation techniques. In the present paper, the current status of aliphatic polyesters and copolyesters (block, random, and star-shaped), their synthesis and characterization, properties, degradation, and applications are described. Emphasis is placed primarily on aliphatic polyesters derived by condensation of diols with dicarboxylic acids (or their derivatives) or by the ROP of cyclic monoesters. Polyesters derived from cyclic diesters or microbial polyesters are beyond the scope of this review. 

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