Synthesis and characterisation of satured and unsatured poly(alkene tartatre) and further cross-linking

Satd. and unsatd. polyesters based on L-tartaric acid were prepd. and characterized. Two kinds of low mol. wt. polyesters were synthesized by the reaction of L-tartaric acid and 1,12-dodecanediol and 1,8-octanediol. Three different kinds of low mol. wt. unsatd. polyesters were synthesized by the reaction of L-tartaric acid, 1,12-dodecanediol, and maleic anhydride. The satd. and unsatd. polymers were characterized by means of 1H NMR, IR anal., gel permeation chromatog. (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric anal. (TGA). These functionalized polymers were thermally crosslinked in the presence of a radical initiator and with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and/or polyethylene glycol Et ether methacrylate (PEGEEM) to prep. crosslinked polymers for biomedical applications. The films were characterized by means of DSC, TGA, and FTIR. The glass transition temps. (Tg) of the polymers increase with increasing alkene group length and for the presence of the double bonds. The transition temps. of the crosslinked films range from about -50°, for the films contg. PEGEEM, to about 90°, for the film contg. HEMA.