Crosslinked fibers and method of making same using UV radiation
View Patent ↗Cross-linked fibers include first and second precursors, each possessing a core and at least one functional group known to have click reactivity when exposed to UV radiation. Mixtures of the first and second precursors are extruded to produce a filament and irradiated with UV light during the extrusion process.
1. A process of forming a cross-linked filament for a surgical device comprising:
mixing first and second precursors, each of the first and second precursors possessing a polyol core and functionalized with at least one functional group having click reactivity when exposed to UV radiation, wherein the at least one functional group of the first precursor is a thiol group and the at least one functional group of the second precursor is an alkene group; and
extruding the first and second precursors through an extrusion unit to produce a filament,
exposing the first and second precursors to UV radiation during the extruding process.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the first precursor is selected from the group consisting of polyethers, polyesters, polyether-esters, polyalkanols, and combinations thereof.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the second precursor is selected from the group consisting of polyethers, polyesters, polyether-esters, polyalkanols, and combinations thereof.
4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein exposing the first and second precursors to UV radiation occurs while in a molten state.
5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein exposing the first and second precursors to UV radiation occurs after forming the filament.
6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein exposing the first and second precursors to UV radiation further comprises passing the filament through a quench bath irradiated with a UV light.
7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the first precursor comprises a poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight from about 200 g/mol to about 10000 g/mol.
8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the first precursor comprises a poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight from about 400 g/mol to about 900 g/mol.
9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the second precursor comprises a poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight from about 200 g/mol to about 10000 g/mol.
10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the second precursor comprises a poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight from about 400 g/mol to about 900 g/mol.
11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polyol core of the first precursor and the polyol core of the second precursor are different.
12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one functional group of the first precursor and the at least one functional group of the second precursor are present in a ratio of about 1:2 to 1:1.