Effective radiological monitoring of biomedical devices is essential for reducing post-implantation failure risks. However, many polymeric implants remain challenging to detect using standard imaging methods such as X-ray and computed tomography, limiting early diagnosis of complications and delaying intervention. To address this, polymers were functionalized to enhance both performance and visibility. An alpha-iodo-epsilon-caprolactone (alpha I epsilon CL) monomer was synthesized and copolymerized with epsilon-caprolactone CL using amino acids as initiators, producing iodo polycaprolactone (IPCL) with 90-98 % efficiency. The polymers were characterized for physicochemical properties and assessed for printability. Self-expandable stents were fabricated with high printing fidelity (>80 % dimensional accuracy) at an optimized extrusion temperature of 80 degrees C. Mechanical testing showed compressive moduli of 12.2 +/- 2.7 MPa for PCL, while IPCL-1 and IPCL-2 demonstrated values of 11.2 +/- 1.5 MPa and 27.3 +/- 0.7, with an extended post-yield region. Both stents retained > 90 % elastic recovery under cyclic radial compression, demonstrating resilience during deployment. Radiopacity testing confirmed progressive grayscale enhancement with iodine content, ensuring clear visualization even at low concentrations. Degradation studies showed the scaffolds remained stable for up to six months. Biocompatibility studies revealed > 80 % viability with well-spread morphology and robust proliferation. IPCL stents offer mechanical strength, controlled degradability, radiopacity and cytocompatibility for vascular tissue engineering.

Foreign