Probing the Surface Chemical Structure of the Novel Biodegradable Polymer Poly(β-malic acid) and Its Ester Derivatives Using ToF-SIMS and XPS

• Published in: Macromolecules Vol. 30; no. 22; pp. 6920 - 6928
• Main Authors: Leadley, S. R, Davies, M. C, Vert, M, Braud, C, Paul, A. J, Shard, A. G, Watts, J. F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 03.11.1997
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biodegradation; Carboxylic acids; Copolymers; Derivatives; Exact sciences and technology; Molecular structure; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Properties and characterization; Secondary ion mass spectrometry; Surface properties; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Polyelectrolyte; Molecular structure; Time of flight method; Aliphatic polymer; Ester polymer; Secondary ion mass spectrometry; Polyacid; Experimental study; Quantitative surface analysis; Surface structure
• ISSN: 0024-9297; 1520-5835
• DOI: 10.1021/ma9702612

Poly(β-malic acid) and its ester derivatives are biodegradable polyesters, which are candidates for innovative drug delivery systems. XPS and ToF-SIMS have been used to investigate the surface chemical structure of poly(β-malic acid), its butyl and benzyl ester derivatives, and a range of their copolymers. The XPS analysis of these polymers showed a good correlation between the experimental and theoretical compositions. The peak-fitting routine applied to the C 1s spectra provided functional group information. The ToF-SIMS analysis of these materials showed characteristic fragmentation patterns for each homo- and copolymer, which consisted of ions diagnostic of the polymers under investigation. This combined use of ToF-SIMS and XPS is shown to provide a detailed insight into the surface chemical structure of the poly(β-malic acid) polymers.