pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S06 - Biopolymers and Polymer from Renewable Resources
Oral Presentation
 
 

Synthesis of thermoreversible and biodegradable polyglycolic-acid-based networks

MHIRI Sirine (1)*, MIGNARD Nathalie (2), ABID Majdi (3), ABID Souhir (3), TAHA Mohamed (2)

(1) Jean Monnet University - Rhone Alpes - France, (2) Jean Monnet University - Saint Etienne - France, (3) University of Sfax - Sfax - Tunisia

Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) is one of the most promising biodegradable polymers owing to its good mechanical properties and its unique biological properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability. Despite its high degree of crystallinity, its insolubility in all common solvents and its thermal decomposition, successful efforts are made to provide poly(glycolic acid) specific mechanical and architectural features and facilitate its handling such as synthesis of glycolide copolymers with varying compositions of comonomers, polymer blends and mesh network formation by crosslinking. Among these methods, cross-linking seems to be a good method to optimize the materials properties of PGA while maintaining its biodegradability. In this study, two different thermoreversible networks were prepared. First, PGA hydroxyl-telechelic oligomer with a well-controlled molecular weight was synthesized by ring opening polymerization of glycolide. Before approaching the synthesis of the networks, two precursors which are the Diels-Alder adduct and a coupling agent were synthesized separately for a better control of the conversion of the Diels Alder reaction. Thereafter, the networks were obtained by two methods: the first one in which the Diels-Alder adduct gives rise to the network and the one-shot process where the alcoholysis reaction of the coupling agent is responsible for the crosslinking. The formation of networks and their thermoreversibility through Diels Alder reactions have been identified over several cycles following the thermal behavior of materials by dynamic mechanical analyses. This method of analysis is rapid and relevant for the detection of cross-linking and de-cross-linking of the networks. The biodegradation by aerobic microorganisms and the hydrolytic degradation at 37°C were studied on networks with different densities.