Bone-tissue-engineering material poly(propylene fumarate): correlation between molecular weight, chain dimensions, and physical properties.

ABSTRACT: Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) is an important biodegradable and cross-linkable polymer designed for bone-tissue-engineering applications. For the first time we report the extensive characterization of this biomaterial including molecular weight dependences of physical properties such as glass transition temperature Tg, thermal degradation temperature Td, density rho, melt viscosity eta0, hydrodynamic radius RH, and intrinsic viscosity [eta]. The temperature dependence of eta0 changes progressively with molecular weight, whereas it can be unified when the temperature is normalized to Tg. The plateau modulus and entanglement molecular weight Me have been obtained from the rheological master curves. A variety of chain microstructure parameters such as the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada constants K an

SUBMITTER: Wang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2530912 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature