NUOVI TERPOLIMERI BIODEGRADABILI A MEMORIA DI FORMA

Terpolymers of L-lactide, glycolide and trimethylene carbonate are synthesized via ring opening polymerization reaction of the cyclic monomers using zirconium acetylacetonate as initiator. All terpolymers are amorphous single phase materials with a glass transition temperature (Tg) that changes with composition. Thermomechanical experiments show that the polymers display shape memory properties and that they are able to recover the original shape in a matter of seconds after a suitable thermal stimulus. Thanks to the possibility to modulate the Tg by varying the monomer feed ratio, shape memory polymers with selected transition temperature can be obtained for specific applications