Synthesis and characterization of phosphoryl-choline-capped poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene oxide) di-block co-polymers and its surface modification on polyurethanes

By sequential ring-opening polymerization of ethylene oxide and epsilon-caprolactone, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) di-block co-polymers with a phosphoryl choline (PC)-terminated group were synthesized. Using FT-IR, NMR, DSC and SEC, the products were characterized and the results proved the successful synthesis of functionalized di-block co-polymer. After blending the products with polyurethane (PU) and casting the result as film, the PEO segments migrated to the surface of the blend and the PCL segments acted as an anchor to fix the co-polymer on PU matrix, while the PEO segments provided PU the hydrophibility to prevent the fibrinogen adsorption on PU. This specific di-block co-polymer and the method of processing are hoped to be applied in the biomedical field to improve the biocompatibility of polymer materials.