Poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide)

The Uses of Poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide)

Poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible copolymer for use in biomedical research devices, such as implants, sutures, prosthetic devices, scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, micro and nanoparticles. PDLLA is also utilized in drug delivery research, such as in the synthesis and application of polymer-drug conjugates.

General Description

Poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester synthesized from both enantiomers (D and L) of lactic acid. Due to the ester linkages found in the polymer backbone, these copolymers are able to degrade via hydrolysis. Depending on the ratio of enantiomers used, different forms of PDLLA can be obtained. These differing forms yield materials with different degrees of crystallinity, thermal transitions, solubility, and rates of degradation.