The University of Akron

Becker, Matthew

Wilson, James

Petersen, Shannon

Shannon R Petersen

Matthew L Becker

James A Wilson

Alex P Kleinfehn

In various embodiments, the present invention provides well-defined biodegradable poly(lactone-b-propylene fumarate) diblock and triblock polymers formed using a novel one-pot, scalable ring-opening block-order copolymerization (ROBOCOP) technique that utilizes magnesium 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxide (Mg(BHT)(THF)) to 'switch' from the ROP of cyclic esters to the ROCOP of maleic anhydride (MAn) and propylene oxide (PO) to produce PPF based block copolymers for application in additive manufacturing and patient specific regenerative medicine. These block copolymers are fully resorbable and can be photochemically crosslinked in a number of applications, including 3D printing. By adding the lactone block to the PPF polymer, the viscosity of the resulting block copolymer at working temperatures can be precisely controlled and the quantity of the reactive diluent in printable resins can be reduced or eliminated.

Block copolymers of lactones and poly(propylene fumarate)

In one or more embodiments, the present invention is directed to a novel method for synthesizing Mg(BHT)(THF)catalyst, which has several advantages over previous methods. Dry toluene or pentane are not required for synthesizing the catalyst, and the reaction is done in a bulk solution of BHT and THF. Further, because the Mg(BHT)(THF)is made in a one-step ('one-pot') synthesis, the time required for synthesizing and drying the catalyst is reduced. Using the new method of the present invention, the Mg(BHT)(THF)is pure after removing excess THF, thereby eliminating the need for washes and recrystallization.

Synthesis of Mg(BHT)(THF)

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Youngwood, PA, United States of America

Shannon R Petersen