Highly Flexible Poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) Based Materials Obtained by Incorporation of Oligo(ethylene glycol)diglycidylether

Poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) (PECA) is a polymer with potential medical or technical applications, which are limited due to its high brittleness. In this work, the capability of different ethylene or propylene glycol-based oligomers to provide flexible poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) films upon blending is analyzed. The used oligoethers have been chosen with different end groups or lateral substituents and their effects the on macroscopic behavior of the obtained materials have been characterized. During its synthesis, in situ blending of PECA was performed with increasing quantities of oligo(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether providing homogeneously miscible materials with single T-g's. The T-g's decreased in a concentration dependent manner and showed negative deviation from predictions by the Fox equation, possibly due to specific intermolecular interactions. Remarkably, the mechanical properties could be tailored over a wide range with Young's moduli of 0.2 to 900 MPa, which so far has not been reported for cyanoacrylate-based materials. Therefore, the concept of compatible blends should be further explored to establish flexible cyanoacrylate-based materials for various technical or biomedical applications.