The characterization of biodegradable polymers with different process histories

Understanding the characteristics of biomaterials that have been processed for fabricating implantable devices is of great importance. The order of the material and the processing history may play a role in how cellular attachment proteins adsorb and subsequently, how cells attach and form tissue. This study investigates the behavior of three biopolymers-poly(l)-lactic acid, 12,10 polyarylate, and 2,4 polyarylate-processed into four variants-undrawn, drawn, annealed at constant length, and annealed but free-to-shrink. Using DSC, we analyzed the spectra of the materials, relating peaks to changes in molecular structure. We also simulated the in vivo environment using a 37°C water bath, measuring the response of materials as a change in length. From the DSC spectra, poly(l)-lactic acid contained a well defined glass transition, crystallization, and melting region, 12,10 polyarylate was drastically affected by the processing conditions in the number and temperatures at which conversion took place, and 2,4 polyarylate remained relatively benign to processing conditions except at conversion temperatures. This analysis correlated the molecular configuration of the biopolymers to the behavior under different processing and environmental conditions. The influence of intrinsic properties of each variant on cellular proliferation will be the focus of future study.