Functional Polyesters: Tailoring Structure and Biomedical Functions

Aliphatic polyesters exhibit excellent biocompatibility, degradability, and mechanical properties, making them widely utilized in medical applications, such as drug delivery and implantable devices. Traditional aliphatic polyesters are hydrophobic, lacking polar or functional groups, which limits their application in the delivery of biomacromolecules like proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids. This review presents a summary of the research progress on the controlled ring-opening polymerization of functional lactones and O-carboxyanhydrides (OCAs), leading to various novel polyesters with in-chain or side-chain functional groups. These polyesters with defined molar masses and location of functionalities may facilitate biomaterials' applications.