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Updated: Dec 3, 2025

Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Effect of Composition on the Crystallization, Water Absorption, and Biodegradation of
Yuanyuan Dou1, Xinyu Mu1, Yuting Chen1
1State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Laboratory of Biomaterials, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
Abstract:
Poly(ester amide)s have aroused extensive research interest due to the combination of the degradability of polyester and the higher mechanical properties of polyamide. In this work, a series of poly(ε-caprolactam-co-ε-caprolactone) (P(CLA-co-CLO)) copolymers with different compositions were synthesized by anionic copolymerization. The structure, crystallization behavior, water absorption, and biodegradation behavior of these copolymers were investigated by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and polarized optical micrographs (POM). The results indicated that the composition of P(CLA-co-CLO) copolymers can be adjusted by the molar feed ratio. The PCL blocks decreased the crystallization rate of PA6 blocks but had little effect on the melting behavior of PA6, while the crystallized PA6 acted as a heterogeneous nucleating agent and greatly improved the crystallization rate of PCL. Moreover, the introduction of PCL blocks greatly reduced the water absorption of P(CLA-co-CLO) copolymers and endow them a certain degree of degradability.
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