The work contained within concerns itself with the synthesis and characterisation of phosphonated polymers intended for application as nanofibrous tissue scaffolds for improving the healing of bone; it is based on previous work performed in the University of Manchester that identified poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibres coated with poly(vinylphosphonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PVPA-co-AA) as a promising material for enhancing bone healing. This thesis initially focuses on the characterisation of a commercially sourced PVPA-co-AA by defining its composition and molar mass using quantitative 31P NMR and aqueous gel permeation chromatography. A method of synthesising the copolymer by free radical polymerization, with controlled rates of monomer addition, was developed to produce PVPA-co-AA copolymers with a range of compositions. Additionally, nanofibres of PVPA-co-AA were then formed by electrospinning and crosslinked with ethylene glycol; the subsequent nanofibres were found to be water stable and retain their structure after hydration and subsequent drying. A block copolymer, polycaprolactone-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PCL-b-PAA), was synthesised by four-step ATRP and two-step NMP based approaches, with the block character of the resulting copolymer being demonstrated by GPC and dynamic light scattering. The PCL-b-PAA was subsequently used as a compatibiliser for PCL and PVPA-co-AA emulsions, which were used to create composite nanofibres by electrospinning. These nanofibre were in turn characterized by scanning electron microscopy and compared to nanofibres formed using a surfactant, Span® 80, and the original dip-coated nanofibres. Finally, a small portion of work was undertaken to develop phosphonated PCL analogues, by attempting to synthesise phosphonated ε-caprolactone monomers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:713620 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Youle, Peter |
| Contributors | Budd, Peter |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/phosphonated-polymers-for-nanofibrous-tissue-scaffolds(74ec59c4-a062-4b98-b86a-7cefe5b59f4b).html |
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