Abstract
Poly (Lactic Acid), PLA, and Poly (ε-CaproLactone), PCL, compatibilized with Ethyl Ester l-Lysine Triisocyanate (LTI) can be employed as biomaterials. We mixed PLA with PCL and LTI in a twin extruder and by a melt spinning process obtained threads with an average diameter of about 0.3 mm. In order to study the possible application of these threads, mechanical tensile (with the calorimetric and morphological investigations) and biological tests were performed. The results highlighted these biopolymers as promising materials for sutures since they can be rigid and elastic (especially by increasing the PCL amount in the blend), and they are bioactive, able to inhibit bacterial growth. This paper represents a starting point to optimize the blend composition for biomedical suture application.
Highlights
Thermoplastic biopolymers such as Poly(Lactic Acid), PLA, and Poly (ε-CaproLactone), PCL, can be employed as biomaterials in regenerative medicine and drug delivery systems [1]
We considered the chemical compatibilization by the addition of Ethyl Ester l-Lysine Triisocyanate (LTI); it induces a reactive blending process resulting in a branched and/or cross-linked co-polyester-urethane network [10,11,12]
(uncompatibilized blend) is ~120 Pa·s and it decreases during the processing of a thermoplastic polymer up to the value of ~40 Pa·s at higher deformation strains (γ’ = 355 s−1 )
Summary
Thermoplastic biopolymers such as Poly(Lactic Acid), PLA, and Poly (ε-CaproLactone), PCL, can be employed as biomaterials in regenerative medicine and drug delivery systems (i.e., bone and nerve regeneration, scaffolds, sutures, etc.) [1] They are bio-compatible, biodegradable, bioactive and have complementary physical-mechanical-biological features: PLA is sensitive to thermal degradation, to enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis and has a good dissolution time [2], while PCL has higher thermal stability and longer degradation times than PLA. PCL exhibits high ductility; it is a rubber-like polymer (Tg = −60 ◦ C) with good stability under ambient conditions and under thermo-mechanical stress, and its workability is much greater than that of PLA since it only starts to degrade at T > 360 ◦ C [3]. On the one hand, PHB improves the impact strength of pure
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