Performance Study of Biodegradable Polyurethanes from Different Biodicarboxylic Acids and Their Potential Applications

The chemical structure of polyester polyols significantly influences the properties of polyester-based polyurethane. This study involves synthesizing covalently cross-linked 3D network polyester polyols (poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA), poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), and poly(glycerol dodecanoate) (PGD)) from polycondensation of glycerol with bioderived aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (adipic acid, sebacic acid, and decanoic acid, with carbon chain lengths ranging from C4 to C10), followed by further polyurethane synthesis with dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate. A systematic analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between the carbon chain units of the biodicarboxylic acid and the physicochemical properties of the polyurethanes. The chemical structure, crystallization and melting behavior, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and biodegradability of the polyurethane were investigated by NMR, FT-IR, XRD, DSC, TGA, and mechanical test. The crystallization and melting point of the polyols gradually increased with increasing carbon chain length (C4–C10) units. The thermal stability, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation at break of the obtained PU polymer also gradually increased with the increasing carbon chain length units in the polyols. Besides, in vitro cell culture of adult mouse fibroblast L929 cells showed good support for cell viability. Furthermore, the investigation delves into potential medical applications of these polymers, such as the development of biodegradable antimicrobial coatings with norfloxacin and their potential use as temperature-responsive scaffolds. All polyurethanes exhibited body temperature (37 °C)-responsive behavior, and the shape recovery speed decreases gradually in the order of P(PGA)U, P(PGS)U, and P(PGD)U. This research contributes valuable support for the development of customizable medical materials with specific mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and stimulus-responsive characteristics.