Blends of two crystalline bioreabsorbable polymers, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(p-dioxanone) (PPD), have been prepared by solvent casting in different compositions. The blends were immersed in tubes containing a phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4) in a thermally controlled bath of 37 ± 1°C and studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed by in vitro study that PLLA has a slower degradation rate than PPD and the blends presented an intermediate degradation rate. This shows that it is possible to vary the degradation rate of the blend by changing its composition.
Polymeric blends; bioreabsorbable polymers; in vitro degradation; poly(lactic acid); PLLA; poly(p-dioxanone); PPD
