• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.121-133
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• 2014

Block copolymers including ABA triblock architectures are useful as thermoplastic elastomers and toughened plastics depending on the relative glassy and rubbery content. These materials can be blended with other polymers and utilized as additives, toughening agents, and compatibilizers. Most of commercially available block copolymers are derived from petroleum. Renewable alternatives are attractive considering the finite supply of fossil resources on earth and the overall economic and environmental expenses involved in the recovery and use of oil. Furthermore, tomorrow's sustainable materials are demanding the design and implementation with programmed end-of-life. The present review focuses on the preparation and evaluation of new classes of renewable ABA triblock copolymers and also emphasizes on the use of carbohydrate-derived poly(lactide) or plant-based poly(olefins) having a high glass transition temperature and/or high melting temperature for the hard phase in addition to the use of bio-based amorphous hydrocarbon polymers with a low glass transition temperature for the soft components. The combination of multiple controlled polymerizations has proven to be a powerful approach. Precision-controlled synthesis of these hybrid macromolecules has led to the development of new elastomers and tough plastics offering renewability, biodegradability, and high performance.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.744-752
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• 2013

The miscibility between poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated using thermal analyses for the purpose of developing birefringence-free material at oriented state. The effect of methyl acrylate (MA) units as comonomer of PMMA on the miscibility was also studied. All the blends prepared in this study show composition-dependent single $T_g$'s between those of blend components and high transparency over the visible region, indicating the miscibility at molecular level and no discernible effect of MA units on it. No phase separation was observed at elevated temperature of $280^{\circ}C$, higher than the degradation of PLLA and PMMA. The interaction energy density in PLLA/PMMA blends with 17 mol% of MA was measured to be $-0.74J/cm^3$ from the equilibrium melting temperature depression based on the Hoffman-Weeks method. The blends show zero-${\Delta}$n behavior at a specific mixing ratio and the drawing ratio of 3 due to compensation of intrinsic orientation birefringence. Birefringence dispersion of PLLA/PMMA5 blends was also measured to examine the possibility for quarter-wave plates or polarizer protective films.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2013

The vascular endothelial cells are the inner layers of blood vessels. It regulates the function of blood vessels and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer with a well-controlled degradation rate and an acceptable mechanical strength. It can be easily fabricated into many shapes. Silk consists of 18 amino acids. It found important for attaching cells cultured in vitro, and maintaining cell functions. In this study, we fabricated silk/PLGA biomaterial hybrid films of 0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 wt% silk. We performed MTT, SEM, ELISA, and immunocytochemistry analyses. We confirmed the adhesion and the proliferation of HAECs on silk/PLGA according to the content of silk, and 40 wt% silk/PLGA hybrid films have superior adhesion and proliferation properties. These results demonstrate that silk/PLGA hybrid films provide suitable surfaces for HAECs, and there is the effect of silk on cell growth and proliferation.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2008

This study was designed to investigate the effect of hybridization of synthetic/natural materials for annulus fibrosus (AF) tissue regeneration in vitro and in vivo. The synthetic/natural hybrid scaffolds were prepared using PLGA (poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid), SIS (small intestinal submucosa) and DBP (demineralized bone particles). PLGA, PLGA/SIS(20%), PLGA/DBP(20%) and PLGA/SIS (10%)/DBP (10%) scaffold were manufactured by solvent casting/salt leaching method. Compressive strength was measured. Rabbit AF cells were isolated, cultured and seeded into experimental groups. Hydroxyproline production and DNA quantity of AP cells on each scaffold was measured at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after in vitro culture. Cell-scaffold composites were implanted subcutaneously into athymic mice. After 1,4 and 6 weeks postoperatively, specimens were taken and H&E, Safranin-O and type I collagen staining were carried out concerning formation of cartilagenous tissue. In vitro PLGA/SIS scaffold was evaluated for total collagen content (bydroryproline/DNA content) and PLGA scaffold was evaluated for compressive strength.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.468-474
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• 2005

PLGA and PCL copolymers initiated by carbitol as drug carriers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide (LA), glycolide (GA), and $\varepsilon-caprolactone(\varepsilon-CL)$. Implantable wafers were simply fabricated by direct compression method after physical mixing of copolymers and bovine serum albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (BSA-FITC) as a model protein drug. The release amounts of BSA-FITC from wafers were determined by fluorescence intensity using the fluorescence spectrophotometer. Also, the release behavior of BSA-FITC on wafers was controlled by adding the additives such as collagen, small intestinal submucosa (SIS), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), and poly(thylene glycol) (PEG). The wafer prepared by PLGA and PCL exhibited slow release within $10\%$ for 30 days. But, those prepared by a variety of additives exhibited the controlled BSA release patterns with a dependence on the additive contents. furthermore, the wafers containing natural materials such as collagen and SIS showed more zero-order release profile than that with synthetic materials such as PVP and PEG. It was confirmed that the release of BSA from implantable wafers could be easily controlled by adding natural additives.