Indicator Products and Chromatographic Fingerprinting: New Tools for Degradation State and Lifetime Estimation

Surface Modification Changes the Degradation Process and Degradation Product Pattern of Polylactide

“…Degradation of aliphatic polyesters has been extensively studied, − and mathematical models have been developed to predict the hydrolytic degradation process. , However, the effect of different polyester structures, macromolecular architectures, and especially surface modifications on the degradation process and degradation product patterns is still not well established. , The advances in chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques have also opened up for molecular level characterization of the microstructures and degradation processes. − The effect of macromolecular architecture and hydrophilicity on the degradation rate and degradation product patterns of different caprolactone (CL) and 1,5-dioxepan-2-one (DXO) homopolymers and copolymers was clearly shown by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC-MS) , and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) . The influence of composition and chain microstructure on the hydrolytic degradation of glycolide and CL copolymers was also shown by ESI-MS. , Surface grafting is increasingly being used to control the biomaterial−cell interaction.…”

Degradable Polyethylene: Fantasy or Reality

“…The oxidative degradation of polyethylene leads to formation of several low molecular weight degradation products, which have been identified by chromatographic analysis. − In fact, chromatographic fingerprinting has been successfully used as a technique to differentiate between aging in different environments. − The identified degradation products include alkanes, alkenes, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, mono- and dicarboxylic acids, lactones, keto acids, and esters, out of which the dicarboxylic acids are the most abundant in severely oxidized samples. − Because it is only the oxidation products which can be biodegraded, the biodegradable fraction could well be estimated as the percentage of polymer extractable in a suitable solvent.…”