Optimisation of Glycerol and Itaconic Anhydride Polycondensation

Glycerol polyesters have recently become objects of interest in tissue engineering. Barely known so far is poly(glycerol itaconate) (PGItc), a biocompatible, biodegradable polyester. Due to the presence of a C=C electron-acceptor moiety, it is possible to post-modify the product by Michael additions to change the properties of PGItc. Thus, using PGItc as one of the elements of cellular scaffold crosslinked in situ for bone tissue regeneration seems to be a very attractive yet unexplored solution. This work aims to optimize the synthesis of PGItc to obtain derivatives with a double bond in the side chain with the highest conversion rates. The experiments were performed with itaconic anhydride and glycerol using mathematical planning of experiments according to the Box-Behnken plan without solvent and catalyst. The input variables of the process were the ratio of the OH/COOH, temperature, and reaction time. The optimised output variables were: the degree of esterification (EDtitr), the degree of esterification calculated from the analysis of 1H NMR spectra (EDNMR), and the degree of itaconic anhydride conversion—calculation based on 13C NMR spectra (%X13CNMR). In each of statistical models, the significance of the changed synthesis parameters was determined. Optimal conditions are when OH/COOH ratio is equal to 1.5, temperature is 140 °C and time of reaction is 5 h. The higher OH/COOH ratio, temperature and longer the experiment time, the higher the value of the degree of esterification and the degree of anhydride conversion.