Synthesis and Characterization of Degradable Poly(butylene succinate-cofumarate)Copolymer Networks

Poly(butylene succinate) and a series of poly(butylene succinate-co-fumarate) were synthesized, cross-linked and characterized in terms of mechanical properties and biodegradability. The elastic modulus also increased slightly with the comonomer content. However, the elongation at break decresed due to the rigid double bonds. The cross-linked copolyesters showed a large increase in modulus and decrease in elongation at break. Incorporating unsaturated comonomer to the poly( butylene succinate) lowered biodegradability due to the rigidity of polymer chain and this measurement was even lower for the cross-linked copolyesters

Keywords:

Copolyester , Poly(butylene succinate-co-fumarate) , Crosslinking , Degradability