Photocrosslinkable anhydride monomers with tailored degradation and mechanical properties for orthopaedic applications

Photocrosslinkable anhydride monomers were synthesized and analyzed as potential degradable bone cements. These multifunctional monomers can form directly in the body with a radical chain polymerization. The effects of varying the monomer backbone structure (i.e., oligomerization) and the addition of a reactive diluent on physical properties were examined. The degree of oligomerization had insignificant effects on the mechanical properties and the rate of degradation of the copolymer network. With the addition of a diluent, mechanical properties were greatly improved. Compressive strengths on the order of 80 MPa were attained, comparable to poly(methyl methacrylate) bone cement. In addition, the degradation rate was proportional to the wt% of reactive diluent added. By adding a reactive diluent, one is able to tailor the physical properties of these materials for orthopaedic applications.