Abstract
In a century when environmental pollution is a major issue, polymers issued from bio-based monomers have gained important interest, as they are expected to be environment-friendly, and biocompatible, with non-toxic degradation products. In parallel, hyperbranched polymers have emerged as an easily accessible alternative to dendrimers with numerous potential applications. Glycerol (Gly) is a natural, low-cost, trifunctional monomer, with a production expected to grow significantly, and thus an excellent candidate for the synthesis of hyperbranched polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. In the present article, we review the synthesis, properties, and applications of glycerol polyesters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (from succinic to sebacic acids) as well as the copolymers of glycerol or hyperbranched polyglycerol with poly(lactic acid) and poly(ε-caprolactone). Emphasis was given to summarize the synthetic procedures (monomer molar ratio, used catalysts, temperatures, etc.,) and their effect on the molecular weight, solubility, and thermal and mechanical properties of the prepared hyperbranched polymers. Their applications in pharmaceutical technology as drug carries and in biomedical applications focusing on regenerative medicine are highlighted.
Highlights
Aliphatic polyesters are widely used for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications due to their inherent hydrolytic instability, high biodegradability and low cost of production [1]
We review the recent advances in the field of glycerol polyesters based on 2a.liPpohlayti(cGdlyiccaerrboolxSyuliccciancaidtes)(,fProGmSuscuccinic to sebacic acids) and the copolymers of glycerol or hhyyppeerrbbrraanncchheedd ppoollyyglycerol (HBPG) 2w.1it.hSPynLtAheasinsdanPdCPLr,ospperottielisghting the relations between the synthesis and the mechanical properties and degradation of the polymers
All monomers were added simultaneously in the reactor and esterification proceeded at 150 ◦C in the presence of a catalyst or not
Summary
Aliphatic polyesters are widely used for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications due to their inherent hydrolytic instability, high biodegradability and low cost of production [1]. On the other hand, hyperbranched polymers produced from aliphatic acids do not present such problems: they are completely biocompatible materials and can be hydrolyzed to non-toxic monomers. They can be prepared by a one-step reaction and are expected to be produced at a lower cost. The production of glycerol is expected to increase significantly in the decades and its polymerization into value added materials is a strategy to exploit this by-product [5] For these reasons, polymers based on glycerol and α,ω-carboxy diacids have gained considerable interest for the development of hyperbranched biodegradable and biocompatible materials appropriate for several applications including pharmaceutical and biomedical ones. 150 ◦C a: mass ratio: g raw glycerol/g succinic acid; b: pure glycerol; c: refined glycerol (75% glycerol); d: crude glycerol (15 or 30% glycerol); e: determined by size exclusion chromatography; f: determined by 13C NMR; g: determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC); h: Pressure: 150 Pa
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