• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 1995

Biodegradable poly (I ,4-butanediol succinate) (PBS) was synthesized from 1,4-butanediol and succinic anhydride. The glass transition temperature of poly (I, 4-butanediol succinate) was revealed at $73^{\circ}C$. The crystallization and cold crystallization of the polymers were investigated as a function of holding time in melt state, cooling rate. reheating, and molecular weight. Chain scission and/or cmsslinking did not occur in the melt state at var.ious holding times. Slower scanning rate can allow more times for nucleation, rearrangement, and packing of the polymer chain, so the onset temperature of crystallization from the melt was increased. PBS crystallized from the melt was found to have spherulitic structure. The degradation behavior of PBS was studied under basic conditions and with microorganisms using the modified ASTM method. In the basic solution. PBS lost up to 85% of its mass within two days. Based upon visual observation, the crystalline structure of films composed of larger molecular weight polymers retained their crystallinity longer than similar structures in low molecular weight samples.