Physico-mechanical properties of poly (epsilon-caprolactone) for the construction of rumino-reticulum devices for grazing animals.

The solid-state degradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) in the rumen of fistulated cattle was investigated. The degradation process was studied by measurement of changes in weight loss, crystallinity, Young's modulus, molecular weight by size exclusion chromatography and by intrinsic viscosity. In vitro degradation studies were conducted at 39 degrees C in aqueous solutions with a pH and ionic strength as near as possible to those encountered in vivo. Such studies demonstrated that the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) degraded more rapidly in vivo than in vitro. In vivo, chain scission is associated with an increase in crystallinity. The faster degradation in vivo was attributed to fatty acids and bacteria that are present in the rumen, the first portion of the stomach of the grazing animals.