| abstract |
Composite materials have a core portion formed from a polyalkylene oxide initiated block copolymer having one of the blocks made from hard phase forming monomers and another of the blocks made from random copolymers of soft phase forming monomers and at least one shell portion formed from a block copolymer having one of the blocks made from hard phase forming monomers and another of the blocks made from random copolymers of soft phase forming monomers joined to the core portion. Hard phase forming monomers include glycolide and lactide while soft phase forming monomers include 1,4 dioxane-2-one, 1,3 dioxane-2-one and caprolactone. In a preferred embodiment, the core portion is coextruded with the shell portion to form a composite filament or sheet. The composite materials may be used as sutures or formed into medical devices or surgical articles for implantation within a living organism. |