Synthesis of Shape Memory Poly(glycerol sebacate)‐Stearate Polymer

The polycondensation of sebacic acid with glycerol leads to the obtaining of poly(glycerol sebacate), a tough biocompatible polymer, which exhibits shape memory properties. Due to its low glass transition and melting temperatures, the temporary shape has to be kept below room temperature. In this study, the goal is to control the melting of the polyester by adding various amount of stearic acid into the synthesis in order to store the deformed material at room temperature. The reaction is carried out with microwave heating at 180 °C until a gel is obtained. The molar ratio of sebacic acid/glycerol is fixed to 1, while the molar ratio of stearic acid/glycerol varies between 0 and 0.5. The use of a molar ratio of 0.5 leads to the obtaining of materials having a melting temperature of 29 °C able to keep their temporary shape substantially at room temperature and to recover their initial shape in water bath at 37 °C by 85%.