Systematic Development of Degradable Polyester Biomaterials via Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Succinic Anhydride and Epoxides

Degradable polyester materials are widely utilized in medicine as resorbable sutures, implantable devices, and drug delivery. These applications require precise and tunable degradation control; predictable number-average molecular weight (M̅_n), narrow polydispersity (<i>Đ</i>), and diverse material properties define polyester utility, which are not easily achieved through well-established synthesis approaches. Ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) provides reproducible <i>M̅_n</i> control, narrow <i>Đ</i>, and expands monomer diversity. In this work, poly(cyclohexene succinate) (PCS) and poly(propylene succinate) (PPS) were synthesized through a central composite design of experiments approach, systematically varying anhydride:epoxide ratio, monomer:catalyst ratio, reaction temperature, and reaction time. Reduced synthesis factor-response models explained the significant variation for all characterized properties relevant to degradation control. PCS and PPS readily degraded under base-catalyzed hydrolysis conditions with significantly higher mass loss in PPS materials compared to PCS, highlighting the monomer selection influence in degradation behavior. These findings highlight the potential for ROCOP to generate degradable biomaterials with reproducible material properties for application-specific biomedical use.