Abstract
Poly(vinylphosphonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PVPA-co-AA) has recently been identified as a possible candidate for use in bone tissue engineering. It is hypothesized that the strong binding of PVPA-co-AA to calcium in natural bone inhibits osteoclast activity. The free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) with vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) has been investigated with varying experimental conditions. A range of copolymers were successfully produced and their compositions were determined quantitatively using 31P NMR spectroscopy. Monomer conversions were calculated using 1H NMR spectroscopy and a general decrease was found with increasing VPA content. Titration studies demonstrated an increase in the degree of dissociation as a function of VPA in the copolymer. However, a VPA content ca. 30 mol % was found to be the optimum for calcium chelation, suggesting that this composition is the most promising for biomaterials applications. Assessment of cell metabolic activity showed that PVPA-co-AA has no detrimental effect on cells, regardless of copolymer composition.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2656–2662 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Macromolecules |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Mar 2016 |