Incorporation of castor oil in the synthesized aliphatic polyesters via melt polycondensation and end group modification: synthesis, characterization and properties

Aliphatic polyesters are increasingly being employed in the biomedical industry owing to their both biocompatibility and biodegradability. And also, provide an ecologically suitable alternative to commercial plastics because of their evident tendency to degrade as a result of their hydrolytically cleavable ester linkages. Here, the aliphatic polyesters were produced in a sustainable and energy-efficient approach utilizing mineral acid catalyst in a solvent-free state by melt polycondensation method, which outstrips the drawbacks of the conventional synthetic methods. Further incorporating castor oil through post-polymerization reduces dependency on petroleum-based resources. The high solubility and low viscosity of castor oil incorporated polyesters ensure the increased flexibility compared to their respective prepolymers. The improved catalytic activity of H₂SO₄ than H₃PO₄ was observed on the basis of their viscosity. The synthesized polyester exhibits good antimicrobial property and the hemolytic analysis reveals its high compatibility with human blood. The binding affinity of the polyesters with globular proteins like BSA, HSA and PETase enzyme was examined by molecular docking studies and it serves as an additional support for the degradation and biocompatible nature of the polyesters for their potential application in the biomedical field.