Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable polyurethanes with unsaturated carbon bonds based on poly(propylene fumarate)

The segmented polyurethanes synthesized from biodegradable polyesters are very promising and widely applicable because of their excellent physiochemical properties. Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), a kind of linear aliphatic unsaturated and biodegradable polyesters, has been well recognized in biomedical applications. Herein novel polyurethanes (PPFUs) were synthesized based on the PPF-diol, diisocyanates such as 1,6-diisocyanatohexane, l-lysine diisocyanate, and dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, and chain extenders such as 1,4-butylene glycol and l-lysine methyl ester hydrochloride (Lys-OMe2HCl). By varying the types of diisocyanates, and chain extenders, and the proportion of hard segments, the PPFUs with tailored properties such as mechanical strength and degradation rate were easily obtained. The synthesized PPFUs had an amorphous structure and slight phase separation with strong hydrogen bonding between the soft segments and the hard segments. The elongation of PPFU elastomers reached over 400% with a slow deformation-recovery ability. The PPFUs were more sensitive to alkaline (5 M, NaOH) hydrolysis than acid (2 M, HCl) and oxidative (30 vol.%, H2O2) erosion. The tensile strength, deformation-recovery ability, and glass transition temperature of the PPFUs were improved with the increase of hard segment proportion, while the degradation rate was opposite because of the faster degradation of the soft segments. In vitro culture of smooth muscle cells in the extractant of the PPFUs or on the PPFUs film surface revealed low cytotoxicity and good cytocompatibility in terms of cell viability, adhesion, and proliferation. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42065.