Chemical Properties
intrinsic viscosity 1.00-1.30
Uses
Extrusion aid, die lubricant, mold release, pigment and filler dispersion aid and polyester segments in urethanes and block polyesters.
Definition
ChEBI: Hexano-6-lactone is a epsilon-lactone that is oxepane substituted by an oxo group at position 2.
General Description
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable, semicrystalline polyester for use in tissue engineering and drug delivery research applications. Due to the increased length of the aliphatic chain, polycaprolactone degrades significantly slower than other common biodegradable polymers, such as polylactide. PCL features a low melting point (55-60 °C), making it ideal for thermal processing and increasing its use in novel applications such as 3D bioprinting. In addition to its favorable thermal properties, PCL also features high solubility in organic solvent allowing for a multitude of other processing options. This product features low residual water, monomer, and catalyst (tin) making it an ideal choice for use in tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting research.
Properties and Applications
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable, semicrystalline polyester for use in tissue engineering and drug delivery research applications. Due to the increased length of the aliphatic chain, polycaprolactone degrades significantly slower than other common biodegradable polymers, such as polylactide. PCL features a low melting point (55-60 °C), making it ideal for thermal processing and increasing its use in novel applications such as 3D bioprinting. In addition to its favorable thermal properties, PCL also features high solubility in organic solvent allowing for a multitude of other processing options. This product features low residual water, monomer, and catalyst (tin) making it an ideal choice for use in tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting research.
Reactivity Profile
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is biodegradable polyester with a low melting point of around 60 °C and a glass transition temperature of about 60 °C. PCL is prepared by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone using a catalyst such as stannous octanoate[1]. Polycaprolactone is a semicrystalline linear polyester produced by ring-opening polymerisation of epsilon-caprolactone, which is commonly derived from fossil carbon. It has a much lower glass-transition temperature (Tg = ? 60 °C) than other biodegradable polymers, which assists its biodegradability despite its high degree of crystallinity, typically 50%[2].
Solubility in organics
Chloroform, THF, toluene
References
[1] McKeen, L. “1 – Introduction to Use of Plastics in Food Packaging.” 2013. 1-15.
[2] Abdelhamid, Hani Nasser. “Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites.” 2023. 0.
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