INVESTIGATION OF RING-OPENING COPOLYMERIZATION OF POLY(CYCLOHEXENE SUCCINATE) AND POLY(PROPYLENE SUCCINATE) AS DEGRADABLE BIOMATERIALS THROUGH A DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS APPROACH

Abstract

Degradable polyester materials are leveraged widely in medicine in resorbable sutures, implantable devices, and drug delivery. Successful materials require precise degradation control: a predictable number-average molecular weight (Mn), narrow polydispersity (PDI), and diverse material properties to expand utility, not easily achieved through well-established synthesis approaches. Ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) provides reproducible Mn control, narrow PDI, and expanding monomer diversity. This thesis investigates the utility of ROCOP for degradable polyester biomaterials using design of experiments (DoE). Poly(cyclohexene succinate) (PCS) and poly(propylene succinate) (PPS) were synthesized through a central composite DoE by varying anhydride:epoxide (47/53-53/47), monomer:catalyst (100:1-400:1), time (3-12hr), and temperature (90-110℃). Synthesis factor models explained significant variation for all characterized properties. Base-catalyzed hydrolysis degradation conditions showed significantly higher mass loss in PPS materials compared to PCS, highlighting the monomer selection influence in degradation behaviour. Extracted material property correlations showed mass loss was strongly influenced by Mn and glass transition temperature.