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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The need of intelligent implant materials for applications in the area of minimally invasive surgery leads to tremendous attention for polymers which combine degradability and shape-memory capability. Application of heat, and thereby exceeding a certain switching temperature T sw, causes the device to changes its shape. The precise control of T sw is particularly challenging. It was investigated in how far T g, that can be used as T sw, of amorphous polymer networks from star-shaped polyester macrotetrols crosslinked with a low-weight linker can be controlled systematically by incorporation of different comonomers into poly(rac-lactide) prepolymers. The molecular mass of the prepolymers as well as type and content of the comonomers was varied. The T g could be adjusted by selection of comonomer type and ratio without affecting the advantageous elastic properties of the polymer networks.