Polyglycolide with controlled porosity: an improved biomaterial

Abstract

A method to prepare polyglycolide, the simplest polyester, with defined microstructure by solid-state polymerization of halogenoacetates is presented. By choosing the appropriate halogenoacetate it is possible to obtain polyglycolide with variable porosity. The pore size distribution can be varied by choice of the precursor and an appropriate mechanical pretreatment (average pore diameters between 0.3 and 1.5 µm). Porous polyglycolide should degrade faster in the environment or in the body than compact polyglycolide. Alternatively, microcrystals of the elmininated salts can be obtained by extracting the polyglycolide. Thermodynamic data for halogenoacetates are given.