AbstractBiodegradable films of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(DL-lactideco- glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) diblock copolymers (MPEG-b-PDLLGCL) were prepared by solution casting method. Effects of MPEG block length and DLL:G:CL ratio of the MPEG-b-PDLLGCL films on their mechanical properties and hydrolytic degradation were studied and discussed. It was found that the mechanical properties of films were strongly dependent on glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the diblock copolymers. The hydrolytic degradation was investigated in phosphatebuffered solution at 37°C. The degraded films were characterized using gravimetry (%water uptake and %weight loss), 1H-NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and size exclusion chromatography. The %weight loss of the degraded films increased and molecular weight decreased on increasing the MPEG block length and incorporating the G and CL units, according to their %water uptakes. The MPEG content of the degraded film decreased and the Tg increased with hydrolytic degradation time.
Crystallization and morphological transition of poly(l-lactide)–poly(ε-caprolactone) diblock copolymers with different block length ratios
