The present invention relates to a supramolecular biodegradable polymer comprising a quadruple hydrogen bonding unit (abbreviated herein as 4H-unit), a biodegradable backbone and hard blocks and a process for preparing such a supramolecular biodegradable polymer. The supramolecular polymer is specifically suitable for biodegradable articles such as biomedical implants that need high strength and/or elasticity, e.g. medical implants in the cardio-vascular field.

The present invention relates to a biodegradable polyester and use thereof, including components: A) acid components containing following repeating units: 50 to 58 mol % of terephthalic acid A1; 30 to 40 mol % of sebacic acid A2; and 2 to 20 mol % of an aliphatic dibasic acid A3 with a carbon chain length of 6 or less; B) butanediol. In the present invention, in the case of a high content of the terephthalic acid, the biodegradable polyester prepared by introducing an aliphatic dibasic acid unit having a carbon chain length of 6 or less can satisfy the degradation performance and rigidity and improve the tenacity of the material simultaneously.

A biocompatible nerve conduit for nerve re-generation, wherein a porous fiber tube is coated with a bioresorbable hydrogel, with the fibers being formed from a polymer that supports nerve regeneration by preferential adsorption of endogenous proteins and braided with pores in the range from 5 to 200 micrometers using a kink-resistant braiding pattern and the hydro gel coating material and thickness being selected to control the overall porosity, so that nutrients and oxygen can diffuse through said hydrogel coating but the infiltration of fibrous tissue through the coating is prevented.

There is provided a soft tissue implant pocket which reduces the incidence of capsular contracture. The pocket is manufactured from a biodegradable, biocompatible polyurethane foam. The polyurethane contains biodegradable polyols and the foam has a pore size configured for cellular infiltration. The soft tissue implant pocket find use in, for example, breast augmentation and reconstruction.

In some aspects, the present disclosure pertains to multi-arm polymers that comprise a core, a plurality of polymer segments having a first end that is covalently attached to the core and a second end comprising a moiety that comprises a reactive group, wherein the polymer segments comprise one or more free-radical-polymerizable monomers. In some aspects, systems are provided that comprise a first composition comprising such a multi-arm polymer and a second composition comprising a multifunctional compound that comprises functional groups that are reactive with the reactive groups of the multi-arm polymer. In some aspects, systems are provided that comprise crosslinked reaction products of such a multi-arm polymer and such a multifunctional compound.

Biodegradable polymers with advantageous physical and chemical properties are described, as well as methods for making such polymers. In one embodiment, a new chemical synthesis route to technologically important biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) with high isotacticity and molecular weight required for a practical use is described. The new route can utilize racemic eight-membered cyclic diolide (rac-DL), meso-DL, or a rac-DL and meso-DL mixture, derived from bio-sourced dimethyl succinate, and enantiomeric (R,R)-DL and (S,S)-DL, optically resolved by metal-based catalysts. With a stereoselective racemic molecular catalyst, the ROP of rac-DL under ambient conditions produces rapidly P3HB with essentially perfect isotacticity ([mm]>99%), high crystallinity and melting temperature (T.sub.m=171 C.), as well as high molecular weight and low dispersity (M.sub.n=1.5410.sup.5 g/mol, =1.01).

A method for operating in a borehole comprises disposing in a downhole environment an article comprising a bismaleimide composite which comprises a polybismaleimide and a disintegrating agent; exposing the article to an aqueous fluid at a temperature of about 25 C. to about 300 C.; and disintegrating the article.

The invention relates to novel a high-volume swelling hydrogel which comprises a plurality of pores which are defined by an interpenetrating network, and/or a semi-interpenetrating network and/or simple cross-linked arrangement of a plurality of one or more species of hydrophilic polymers, optionally together with one or more biocompatible polymers and optionally together with one or more plasticising agents, characterised in that at least some of the pores are at least partially collapsed and/or flattened, and further characterised in that the interpenetrating network and/or semi-interpenetrating network and/or cross-linked arrangement which defines the collapsed and/or flattened pores is substantially unbroken. The invention also relates to a process for preparing such hydrogels, and to their use as an appetite suppressant.

The invention relates to copolymers that contain structural units of the formula (I), of the formula (II) and optionally of the formula (III) NR.sup.1CHR.sup.3CHR.sup.4 (I), NHCOCHR.sup.7 (II), NHCHR.sup.9CHR.sup.10 (III), or structural units of the formula (IV), of the formula (V) and optionally of the formula (VI) NR.sup.1CHR.sup.3CHR.sup.4CHR.sup.5 (IV), NHCOCHR.sup.7CHR.sup.8 (V), NHCHR.sup.9CHR.sup.10CHR.sup.11 (VI), wherein R.sup.1 is a residue of the formula COR.sup.2, of the formula CONHR.sup.2 or of the formula CH.sub.2CH(OH)R.sup.12, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9, R.sup.10 and R.sup.11 independently of each other represent hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl, and R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 represent hydrogen or selected organic residues. These copolymers are characterized by good degradability and can be used, for example, for preparing active ingredient formulations.

The present disclosure describes, in part, a polymer, for example a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, comprising one or more subunits comprising (i) at least one dianhydrohexitole moiety (ii) at least one urethane moiety and (ill) a thiol moiety having two or more sulphur atoms. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers may be biodegradable and possess excellent thermoplastic properties, including outstanding toughness, resulting from its semi-crystallinity and low glass transition temperature, that surpasses many leading plastics such as nylon 6 and high-density polyethylene (HOPE) and methods of making same.