Controlled degradation of bioresorbable polymers via external stimuli
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Authors
Ehlers, Andrew
Issue Date
2016-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Material science engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
Weight loss measurements proved to be the most effective method of tracking the extent of degradation in PCL films. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Raman Spectroscopy proved to be inefficient in tracking or characterizing hydrolysis reaction in PCL. There was no significant sign of peak splitting, new peak formation, or peak shift in any Raman Spectra which was attributed to the solubility of the cleaved polymer chains. The melting temperature remained constant at 59C since the bulk of the material did not undergo hydrolysis or transterification reactions. The degradation of PCL is supported by the significant weight loss recorded through various experiments however the exact mechanism was not identified by Raman Spectroscopy. Bioresorbable materials remain an important facet in medical research and the success of synthesizing enzymatically degradable polymers represents a new research opportunity for tissue and scaffold development.
Description
December 2016
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY