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Synthesis, Processing and Tensile Testing of a Poly( l ‐lactide‐ co ‐caprolactone) Monofilament Fiber for Use as an Absorbable Surgical Suture
Author(s) -
Ruengdechawiwat Sujitra,
Molloy Robert,
Siripitayana Jintana,
Somsunan Runglawan,
Topham Paul D.,
Tighe Brian J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.201400077
Subject(s) - copolymer , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , lactide , caprolactone , melt spinning , monomer , fiber , amorphous solid , polyester , composite material , polymer chemistry , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry
Summary Summary A poly( l ‐lactide‐ co ‐caprolactone), P(LL‐ co ‐CL), 75:25 mol % copolymer was synthesized via the bulk ring‐opening copolymerization of l ‐lactide (LL) and ϵ‐caprolactone (CL) at 130 °C for 48 hrs. The P(LL‐ co ‐CL) copolymer obtained was characterized in terms of its molecular weight (GPC), copolymer composition ( 1 H‐NMR), monomer sequencing ( 13 C‐NMR) and thermal properties (DSC, TGA). For processing, the P(LL‐ co ‐CL) was melt spun into a monofilament fiber with fast cooling and minimal draw in order to produce an as‐spun fiber that was largely amorphous and unoriented. This enabled the required oriented semi‐crystalline morphology to be gradually built into the as‐spun fiber in a series of controlled off‐line annealing and hot‐drawing steps. The final fiber, which combined sufficient tensile strength with flexibility for use as a suture material, exhibited a stress and strain at break of 344 MPa and 70%, respectively.