Synthesis and Characterization of Diol-Based Unsaturated Polyesters: Poly(diol fumarate) and Poly(diol fumarate-co-succinate)

In this work, we describe the synthesis and characterization of variants of poly(diol fumarate) and poly(diol fumarate-co-succinate). Through a Fischer esterification, α,ω-diols and dicarboxylic acids were polymerized to form aliphatic polyester comacromers. Because of the carbon-carbon double bond of fumaric acid, incorporating it into the macromer backbone structure resulted in unsaturated chains. By choosing α,ω-diols of different lengths (1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol, and 1,10-decanediol) and controlling the amount of fumaric acid in the dicarboxylic acid monomer feed (33, 50, and 100 mol %), nine diol-based macromer variants were synthesized and characterized for molecular weight, number of unsaturated bonds per chain, and thermal properties. Degradation and in vitro cytotoxicity were also measured in a subset of macromers. As proof-of-principle, macromer networks were photo-cross-linked to demonstrate the ability to perform free radical addition using the unsaturated macromer backbone. Cross-linke...