Oligomer Content Determines the Properties and Application of Polycaprolactone

The oligomers in polymer materials have a decisive influence on properties. However, there is a lack of studies on the oligomers in polycaprolactone (PCL), and the effect of oligomers on material performance has not yet been revealed. In this work, the oligomer content in PCL was quantitatively characterized, and the result refers that the cyclic dimer content reaches 97 wt % in the PCL oligomer. In addition, the effect of oligomers on the thermal behavior, the in vitro degradability, and the in vitro cytotoxicity cell experiments were further investigated. In the in vitro degradation simulation experiments, the PCL with a higher content of oligomers showed faster degradation than that with a lower content of oligomers. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity cell experiments proved that increasing the content of oligomers can greatly improve the biocompatibility of PCL materials. These results can help researchers better understand oligomers and promote the application of PCL more directly.