Hydrolytic degradation study of biodegradable polyesteramide copolymers based on epsilon-caprolactone and 11-aminoundecanoic acid.

In this paper, a new kind of aliphatic biodegradable polyesteramide copolymers P(CL/AU)x/y based on epsilon-caprolactone and 11-aminoundecanoic acid were synthesized by the melt polycondensation method. Hydrolytic degradation behavior of P(CL/AU) copolymers were studied by using FTIR, 1H-NMR and DSC. Chemical compositions, macromolecular weight, thickness of the test sample, and pH of the degradation medium have great effect on degradation rate. The degradation rate decreased with increase in aminoundecanoic acid content, macromolecular weight, and thickness of the test samples, but increased with incubation temperature and pH of the degradation medium. The degradation mechanism was studied according to the mathematical model developed by professor Göpferich.