Advancements in structure-property correlation studies of cross-linked citric acid-based elastomers from the perspective of medical application.

Herein, a renewed prominence towards the synthesis of poly(alkylene citrate) (PAC) biomaterials and their detailed chemical, structural and mechanical characterization has been reported. Based on the modifications to the PAC synthesis protocol introduced in this study, the fabrication process was significantly streamlined, the reaction yields were increased, and the homogeneity of the final materials was found to be substantially improved. Comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) studies of the fabricated prepolymers shed light on the mechanism of the PAC cross-linking process and supported the design of materials with enhanced biocompatibility.