XPS and ToF‐SIMS Characterization of New Biodegradable Poly(Peptide‐Urethane‐Urea) Block Copolymers

Abstract

New, linear, segmented poly(peptide‐urethane‐urea) (PPUU) block copolymers are synthesized and their surface compositions are characterized with angle dependent X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ADXPS) and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS). These new PPUU block copolymers contain three types of segments. The soft segment (SS) is poly(caprolactone diol) (PCL). The hard segment is lysine diisocyanate with a hydrazine chain extender. The oligopeptide segment (OPS) contains three types of amino acids (proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine). Incorporation of the OPS into the polyurethane backbone is done to provide a synthetic polymer material with controllable biodegradation properties. As biodegradation processes normally are initiated at the interface between the biomaterial and the living tissue, it is important to characterize the surface composition of biomaterials. ADXPS and ToF‐SIMS results show that the surfaces of all four polymers are enriched with the PCL SS, the most hydrophobic component of the three polymer segments.

Enabling quantitative analysis of complex polymer blends by infrared nanospectroscopy and isotopic deuteration

“…Additional characterization such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) or Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) may be used in the future to provide complementary vertical phase separation information. 33,34…”

Rational design of poly(peptide-ester) block copolymers for enzyme-specific surface resorption

“…[18][19][20][21] Recent studies have demonstrated incorporation of bioactive peptide into nylons, 22 however, the use of enzyme-sensitive peptides to control resorption of high molecular weight thermoplastics remains unreported. Zorn and colleagues polymerized oligopeptide segments into polyurethanes 23 for the purpose of improving polymer biodegradation. Their work fully characterized the surface of these peptideincorporated block copolymers, demonstrating that the surface is enriched with the most hydrophobic of the monomer units.…”