Backbone degradable poly(acrylic acid) analogue via radical ring-opening copolymerization and enhanced biodegradability

Abstract

Degradable poly(acrylic acid) has been prepared via free radical ring-opening copolymerization of tert-butyl acrylate and 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane followed by tert-butyl deprotection, under acidic conditions. The resulting degradable poly(acrylic acid) analogue possesses ester groups within the backbone, which facilitate environmental hydrolysis into short chain oligomers, which subsequently undergo biodegradation. The degradable poly(acrylic acid) reported displays a significant degree of biodegradability (27.50% in 28 days) under environmental conditions, when compared to a conventional all carbon backbone non-degradable version, which shows no biodegradability.

Keywords: 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane; Biodegradable polymers; Cyclic ketene acetal; Formulation polymers; Radical ring-opening polymerization; poly(acrylic acid).