Tough, Recyclable, and Degradable Elastomers for Potential Biomedical Applications.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Elastomers are widely used but pose disposal challenges.
• There is a critical need for elastomers that are simultaneously tough, recyclable, and degradable.
• Developing such materials is synthetically challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel polycaprolactone (PCL)-based polyurethane elastomer.
• To achieve high toughness, recyclability, and biodegradability in a single elastomer.
• To evaluate the elastomer's mechanical, recycling, degradation, and biocompatibility properties.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a polycaprolactone (PCL)-based polyurethane elastomer incorporating dynamic coordination bonds.
• Characterization of mechanical properties, including toughness and fracture energy.
• Assessment of recyclability through solvent-based reprocessing.
• Evaluation of biodegradability using lipase enzyme.
• Biocompatibility testing and assessment of wound healing facilitation in mice.

Main Results:

• The elastomer achieved a high toughness of ≈372 MJ m⁻³ and fracture energy of ≈646 kJ m⁻², significantly exceeding natural rubber.
• The material demonstrated recyclability up to three times without property degradation.
• Complete degradation by lipase was observed within approximately 2 months.
• The elastomer exhibited good biocompatibility and promoted wound healing in vivo.

Conclusions:

• The developed PCL-based polyurethane elastomer meets the demand for advanced materials with combined toughness, recyclability, and degradability.
• Its exceptional mechanical performance, recyclability, and biocompatibility position it as a next-generation elastomer.
• Potential applications span biomedicine, flexible electronics, and robotics.