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Ethylene oxide's role as a reactive agent during sterilization: Effects of polymer composition and device architecture
Author(s) -
Phillip Edward,
Murthy N. Sanjeeva,
Bolikal Durgadas,
Narayanan Pallassana,
Kohn Joachim,
Lavelle Linda,
Bodnar Stanko,
Pricer Kurt
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.32853
Subject(s) - sterilization (economics) , ethylene glycol , ethylene oxide , polymer , materials science , chemical engineering , peg ratio , polymer chemistry , composite material , copolymer , finance , monetary economics , economics , foreign exchange market , engineering , foreign exchange
terilization conditions need to be optimized to effectively neutralize the bioburden while using short exposure times for minimizing the changes in chemical composition, material properties and device architecture. Towards this goal, effects of ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure parameters such as time, temperature, humidity, and EtO concentration on the polymer properties were investigated by monitoring the changes in composition, and the morphology of different types of structures in a family of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐containing tyrosine‐derived polycarbonates. EtO was found to esterify the carboxyl groups present in the desaminotyrosyl‐tyrosine groups. Sterilization under conditions more severe than those normally used reduced the glass transition temperature ( T g ) and the molecular weight of the polymers, and the presence of PEG in the polymer enhanced this effect. Furthermore, electron micrographs showed that EtO sterilization cycle conditions, even those considered “mild,” were found to damage the fragile structures such as those found in electrospun mats and porous scaffolds. Our study shows that the presence of EtO‐susceptible groups, fusible architecture, and surface morphology should be taken into account in choosing the appropriate EtO sterilization conditions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2013.