Synthesis and characterisation of stereoregular cyclic poly(lactide)s

Poly(lactide)s is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer available from renewable feed stocks and has therefore received a great deal of attention in recent years. Although significant research has been carried out examining its properties, architectural differences have received little attention. Notably, cyclic polymers are known to have strikingly different properties from their linear counterparts. This research will examine possible new routes for the synthesis of cyclic poly(lactide)s