Properties and biotic hydrolysis of radiation crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone)

Crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was prepared by electron beam irradiation in the presence of the polyfunctional monomer A-TMPT. As the A-TMPT ratio and irradiation dose increase, the PCL gel fraction increases and consequently its heat resistant property significantly improves. The thermal parameters of crosslinked PCL such as the melting temperature (Tm), recrystallization temperature (Trc), and heat of recrystallization (ΔHrc), were slightly influenced. The surface morphology and structure of biodegraded crosslinked PCL were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the erosion reaction temperature had a great effect on the morphology and structure of modified PCL and consequently influenced its degradation rate. The introduction of the crosslinking into PCL diminished its ability to biodegrade.