Smart Wearable Textiles with Breathable Properties and Repeatable Shaping in In Vitro Orthopedic Support from a Novel Biomass Thermoplastic Copolyester

Abstract

Abstract In this study, materials with low melting temperatures and high toughness are developed for orthopedic applications. A series of an aliphatic copolyester based on sebacic acid (SeA), a green resource, is copolymerized with ethylene glycol, trimesic acid, aminocaproic acid, and adipic acid (AA) to produce poly(ethylene sebacate‐co‐ethylene adipate) (PESA) with various molar ratios through melt polymerization. Thermal characterizations of the PESA copolyesters are tuned with SeA and AA in varying molar ratios, exhibiting a crystalline phase with a lower degree of perfection. The melting point ( T m ) and crystallization temperature ( T c ) of the copolyesters are observed at 60–70 and 30–40 °C, respectively. Furthermore, a high Young's modulus ranging between 140 and 200 MPa is observed, which could be attributed to the 3D network structure formed by the trimesic acid unit used as a cross‐linking agent. Within the authors' research group, the PESA copolyesters are adopted to reinforce the mechanical properties of a 3D air mesh fabric as a composite application. Also, the highly breathable and low‐weight characteristics of 3D fabric with PESA copolyesters render them suitable for replacing traditional plaster in the future.