Synthesis and Characterization of Biodegradable Poly(1,8‐octanediol‐co‐citrate)/Poly(ε‐caprolactone) Copolyester with Robust Resilience and Low Hysteresis

Abstract The extensive application of polymer materials has caused environmental pollution. Biodegradable polymers, especially biodegradable elastomers, show great potential in biomedical and other fields. Poly(1,8‐octanediol‐co‐citrate) (POC) is a well‐known biodegradable elastomer with good properties but limited by poor mechanical properties. To address this issue, a new biodegradable poly(1,8‐octanediolco‐citrate)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) copolyester (POCC) is synthesized. The results show that PCL chains are successfully incorporated into the POCC network. POCC exhibits excellent mechanical properties with a high elongation at break, remarkable cyclic tensile recovery rate, and low hysteresis. It also has good transparency and can be degraded in PBS buffer solution. POCC presents great potential for applications in biomedicine, environmental protection, and electronics, providing new possibilities for the development of related fields.