Design, synthesis, and properties of new biodegradable aromatic/aliphatic liquid crystalline copolyesters.

Liquid crystalline copolyesters of high molecular weight were obtained by polycondensation of aromatic diols, diacyl dichlorides, oligolactides, and poly(ethylene glycol)s. Hydrophilicity of the copolyesters was controlled by the content of ethyleneoxy moieties as verified by contact angle measurements. Copolyesters with ethyleneoxy moieties showed significant enhancement of degradability under physiological conditions in comparison to copolyester without ethyleneoxy moieties, which makes these copolyesters promising materials for bone tissue engineering as also verified by hardness testing and mechanical testing.