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Fluorescently labeled degradable thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers: Visual evaluation for the degradation behavior
Author(s) -
Liu Zhengsheng,
Liu Shuai,
Shi Heguang,
Ren Hongqi,
Wang Ruiyu,
Yang Jixiang,
Guo Tianying
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.42519
Subject(s) - materials science , thermoplastic polyurethane , monomer , elastomer , isophorone diisocyanate , polyurethane , thermoplastic , polymer , polymer chemistry , polyester , thermoplastic elastomer , diol , chemical engineering , composite material , copolymer , engineering
Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) were synthesized with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as the rigid segment, poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA‐PEG‐PLGA) diol as soft segment, and 1,4‐butanediol (BDO) as the chain extender. During the chain extension process, three kinds of fluorescent monomers 4‐(2‐hydroxyethylamino)−1,8‐naphthoyl‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)imide (HNHI), 1,5‐dihydroxy naphthalene (DHN), and dicoumarin (DIC) were introduced to get the fluorescently labeled degradable TPUs. The structure and degradation properties of the TPUs were characterized in detail. The results showed that there was no significant effect found on average molecular weight, mechanical properties, and glass transition temperature of polyurethane by introducing 0.001% (wt) weight percent of fluorescence monomers. The degradation behavior of fluorescent‐tagged thermoplastic elastomer has been characterized with fluorescence microscopy. Results showed that polyurethane elastomers, in which fluorescence monomers especially HNHI were introduced by chemical reaction, had more homogeneous and stable fluorescence intensity than that with fluorescence monomers introduced by post blending. This work also provides a promising visual characterization approach to monitor degradation behavior of degradable TPUs for tissue engineering applications or drug delivery system. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42519.