In situ copolyesters containing poly(L-lactide) and poly(hydroxyalkanoate) units
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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Dahlia Haynes1, Nilmini K Abayasinghe, Graham M Harrison
1Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0973, USA.
Abstract:
In situ copolyesters containing polylactide (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) segments were obtained via ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide using PHA as a macroinitiator with stannous octoate as catalyst. Incorporation of PHA (20 wt %) into PLA affords a novel copolymer with Mn values ranging from 25 to 50 KDa and low polydispersities of 1.8-2.3. DSC analysis of the copolymer indicates well-defined crystallization and melting transitions different from the homopolymers and corresponding blend. The polymers were characterized by FT-IR, GPC, DSC, optical microscopy, NMR, and TGA. The results show successful reactivity of PHA as a macroinitiator for the ring-opening polymerization of lactide.
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