The in vitro enzymatic degradation of poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-2, 2′-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate)

Abstract

Poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-2, 2′-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate) [P(TMC-co-DTC)] with a molecular weight of about 150 kDa and different copolymer composition were synthesized by ring opening copolymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and 2, 2′-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate (DTC), using stannous octoate [Sn(Oct)2] as catalyst. The results of thermal properties investigation showed that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of P(TMC-co-DTC) elevated with the increase of DTC segments in the composition. Furthermore, the acquired P(TMC-co-DTC) presented high thermal stability and good flexibility. The in vitro enzymatic degradation of P(TMC-co-DTC) was carried out in the lipase solutions (from Thermomyces lanuginosus, ≥100,000 U/g). The results showed that P(TMC-co-DTC) exhibited much better form-stability and lower degradation rate than poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC),and the higher the DTC content, the lower the degradation rate. Hence, the methylated-functionalization caused by the introduction of DTC segments was an effective strategy to control the degradation behavior of PTMC.