Biodegradable polymers ester group, modification

Aliphatic polyesters are biocompatible and biodegradable polymers that are widely used in biomedical applications. Within these, polylactides and poly(s-caprolactone) are two of the most studied ones (Fig. 2). These polyesters can be synthesized via ring-opening polymerization of the corresponding cyclic esters (s-caprolactone and lactide) and via polycondensation of lactic acid. In material science, both pure aliphatic polyesters and natural polysaccharides have limitations in some specific applications. These limitations can be overcome by the introduction of hydrophilic groups (carbohydrate compounds) into the aliphatic polyesters and modifications of natural polysaccharides with hydrophobic polyesters. 

---