Polycaprolactone
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POL : Polycaprolactone
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester with a low melting point of around 60°C and a glass transition temperature of about −60°C. PCL can be prepared by ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone using a catalyst such as stannous octanoate.
This polymer is often used as an additive for resins to improve their processing characteristics and their end use properties (e.g.: impact resistance). Being compatible with a range of other materials, PCL can be mixed with starch to lower its cost and increase biodegradability or it can be added as a polymeric plasticizer to PVC.
Polycaprolactone is also used for splinting, modelling, and as a feedstock for prototype Fused Deposition Modeling systems such as RepRap.
Biomedical Applications
PCL is degraded by hydrolysis of its ester linkages in physiological conditions (such as in the human body) and has therefore received a great deal of attention for use as an implantable biomaterial. In particular it is especially interesting for the preparation of long term implantable devices, owing to its degradation which is even slower than that of polylactide.
PCL is an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved material that is used in the human body as (for example) a drug delivery device, suture, adhesion barrier and is being investigated as a scaffold for tissue repair via tissue engineering.
A variety of drugs have been encapsulated within PCL beads for controlled release and targeted drug delivery which have been peer reviewed.
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