Synthesis of Vegetable Oil-Based Poly(beta-amino ester)

Recently, there is a growing interest in vegetable oils, cheap and abundant renewable natural resources. Vegetable oils can be used as raw materials for ecofriendly biodegradable polymer materials. In this study, poly(beta-amino esters) were synthesized by polymerization reaction of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) and 2-aminoethanol. Various polymer films were prepared by changing the molar ratio of AESO to 2-aminoethanol. The formation of C-N bonds in poly(beta-amino ester) was confirmed using FT-IR. Gel contents higher than 98% confirmed the synthesis of crosslinked polymer networks. Tensile strengths and elongation at breaks of polymer films ranged from 0.3 to 1.3 MPa and 32 to 55%, respectively. Polymer films degraded 2 to 7% of the initial weight in 35 days in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.2) containing lipase enzyme.