Aliphatic polyesters derived from bio-based monomers are receiving increasing attention as medical devices for drug delivery and tissue engineering [1]. In our previous work we have synthesized and characterized a series of copolyesters composed of succinic acid, dimerized linoleic acid and 1,4-butanediol. The chemical structure of the monomers used for the synthesis and of the resulting copolyester is represented in Figure 1. Degradable nanoparticles prepared from these polyesters were evaluated as drug delivery nanocarriers [2].
Fig. 1: Chemical structure of bio-based polyesters
In the present work, a high molecular weight (numer average molecular weight Mn ~ 60000 g/mol, dispersities D ~ 1.4-2.0) multiblock copolyesters based on poly(butylene sebacate) (PBS) as the hard segments, and poly(butylene dilinoleate) (PBDL) as the soft segments was synthesized and characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, SEC, AFM and WAXS. The novel bio-based copolyesters exhibit very good mechanical properties and thermal stability; with only 5 wt.% of polymer weight loss at 340 – 380 °C. Polyester colloidal nanoparticles with narrow polydispersities were prepared by nanoprecipitation method and investigated by dynamic light scattering and AFM. The mean particle size of nanoparticles in aqueous solutions ranged from 56-170 nm and the size can be tuned by the choice of an organic solvent used for dissolution of the polymer.
[1]. Gandini, A. Polymers from Renewable Resources: A Challenge for the Future of Macromolecular Materials Macromolecules, 2008, 41, 9491–9504.
[2]. Jäger, A.; Gromadzki, D.; Jäger, E.; Giacomelli, F.C., Kozlowska, A. et al.Novel soft biodegradable nanoparticles prepared from aliphatic based monomers as a potential drug delivery system Soft Matter, 2012,8, 4343-4254.
dgromadzki.pst@gmail.com
