Title Information
Title
Impact of Pressure and Degradation on Morphology in Mesophase-Inducing Polymer Systems
Type of Resource (primo)
dissertations
Name: Personal
Name Part
Tatad, Jelynn Ellianna
Role
Role Term: Text
creator
Name: Personal
Name Part
Shukla, Anita
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
McDonald, Benjamin
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Mathiowitz, Edith
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Corporate
Name Part
Brown University. Biology and Medicine: Biotechnology
Role
Role Term: Text
sponsor
Origin Information
Copyright Date
2025
Physical Description
Extent
, 79 p.
digitalOrigin
born digital
Note: thesis
Thesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2025
Genre (aat)
theses
Abstract
Understanding polymer morphology is crucial in innovating new technologies for medical devices. This study focuses on characterizing how polymer blending influences morphology and how these morphological changes affect degradation behavior. Through the characterization of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), and Polyethylene Oxide (PEO), key structural changes have been noted through Polarized Light Microscopy, where increased birefringence can be seen in processed samples, thereby suggesting increased order. XRD analysis quantified phase content, revealing that higher PLA content correlates with increased mesophase content. The results also showed that PEO/PCL blends maintain a high crystallinity and minimal mesophase formation. The PLGA degradation study demonstrated the impact of polymer morphology on degradation kinetics. GPC analysis showed that film-cast samples degrade the slowest, followed by mesophase-induced samples, and then unprocessed samples. A second degradation study involving PCL containing hydrophobic drugs (Dolutegravir and Meloxicam) showed the effects of processing temperature on polymer morphology and degradation rate. Minimal morphological changes and degradation were observed over the 3 month period, likely due to PCL’s slow degradation rate. These findings confirm that increased order through mesophase induction indeed slows degradation, highlighting the link between morphology and degradation. This research provides key insights that are crucial in understanding future polymer applications within the biomedical device landscape.
Subject
Topic
morphology
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01070588")
Topic
Polymers
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00832001")
Topic
Biodegradation
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01790205")
Topic
Polymer chemistry
Subject
Topic
Biomaterials
Subject
Topic
biodegradable polymers
Subject
Topic
drug delivery
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01181828")
Topic
X-ray diffractometer
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00939506")
Topic
Gel permeation chromatography
Subject
Topic
dolutegravir
Subject
Topic
meloxicam
Language
Language Term (ISO639-2B)
English
Record Information
Record Content Source (marcorg)
RPB
Record Creation Date (encoding="iso8601")
20250707