Date of Thesis
Winter 2024
Description
Polyanhydrides are a class of erodible polymers that provide a solution to sustained drug delivery. These polymers contain an anhydride bond in their polymer backbone that can hydrolyze under physiological conditions. The polyanhydride polymer matrix limits water penetration into the bulk of the polymer thus it erodes through surface erosion. As the surface of a polyanhydride matrix erodes, the entrapped drug in the polymer matrix releases into the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the rate of release of a pharmaceutical compound can be tuned based on the functional groups in the backbone of the polymer.
This thesis research’s central problem is synthesizing pyrrolidone-containing diacid monomers and exploring methods to make polyanhydride polymers from them using solution polymerization. This was achieved in two main steps. The first step was synthesizing pyrrolidone carboxylic diacid monomers (PCDs). The PCD monomers were synthesized using itaconic acid and diamines such as hexamethylenediamine, 1,3 bis(aminopropyl) tetramethyldisiloxane, and p- phenylenediamine. Once the diacids were purified and characterized using DSC, 1H NMR, and FTIR, they were used to synthesize different polyanhydrides. While no homopolymers were obtained, different copolymers were successfully synthesized. These polyanhydrides were characterized using DSC, 1H NMR, and FTIR.
Keywords
polyanhydride, pyrrolidone, polymerization, synthesis
Access Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Science
Major
Chemical Engineering
First Advisor
Brandon Vogel
Recommended Citation
Schmitt, Stephen, "Synthesis of Pyrrolidone Containing Polyanhydrides via Solution Polymerization" (2024). Master’s Theses. 286.
https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/masters_theses/286