Abstract
A-B-A type block copolymer [GIG (P) ] membranes consisting of Poly (N-hydroxypropyl-L-glutamine) [PHPG] as the A component and Polyisoprene [PI] as the B component were prepared by carrying out aminoalcoholysis reaction with 3-amino-l-propanol [P] together with a crosslinking reaction with 1, 8-octamethylene diamine (OMDA) on membranes of the starting block copolymer [GIG] membranes consisting of poly (γ-benzyl L-glutamate) [PBLG] and PI. It was shown that the effective crosslink density was proportional to the molar % of OMDA in the reaction mixture. The relation between their bulk structure and membrane properties was investigated, such as the swelling ratio q in a pseudo -extracellular fluid [PECF], tensile properties, and enzymatic degradation behavior of the membranes in PECF. Tensile properties of the hydrophilic membranes were highly dependent on q in PECF, and on the hydrophobic portions in molecular chains, whose behavior was typical of an elastomer. Biodegradation of samples in vitro by ficin indicated that the degradation was a bulk rather than a surface phenomenon, and that the rate of degradation was also highly dependent on q of membranes in PECF.
