Abstract
The impact of thermal stability on the performance of homo-polymers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic, and co-polymer of acrylic acid : 2-acrylamido-2-methtylpropane sulfonic acid as inhibitors for the transformation of amorphous calcium phosphate to hydroxyapatite at pH 7.40, 37°C, calcium = phosphate = 3.200 mM was investigated. It has been found that all polymers lose performance to a varying degree when exposed to thermal treatment (150°C, 200°C, 240°C, 20 hr). The performance data also suggest that carboxylic acid containing homo-polymers are better inhibitors than sulfonic acid containing homo-polymer and co-polymer. The results have been explained in terms of loss of carboxylic acid group and degradation of amido group to carboxylic acid group.
