Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of Segmented Polycaprolactone for Development of Dura Substitute

Molecular design and modification allow the properties of degradable materials to be suited for specific requirement of biomedical applications. For example, the dura substitute requires both mechanically and biologically suitable for repairing loss of dura mater. Here in this paper, a novel urethane linkage containing poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) for use as dura substitute was synthesized by solution polymerization. By using ɛ-caprolactone precursors with different molecular weights and ratios, a series of segmented poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (sPCL) were obtained via ring opening polymerization with diisocynate as coupling agent. The chemical structures of sPCL were characterized by means of GPC, IR, and 1H NMR. The effect of PCL block length on thermal behavior has been investigated using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Physical properties such as mechanical properties and invitro degradation rate were evaluated and the results also suggest that urethane linked PCL exhibit tunable degradation rate that is controlled by the PCL block length. sPCL membrane were fabricated and evaluated in vitro and in vivo as dura substitute.