The performance of polymeric materials depends strongly on the control over the polymer
microstructure during the synthesis step. In this review, attention is paid to the potential of …

The architecture, composition and molecular weight (MW) of polymers and copolymers
made via free radical polymerization are important parameters that affect the end-use of both …

Biodegradable and renewable polymers, such as polylactic acid, are benign alternatives for
petrochemical-based plastics. Current production of polylactic acid via its key building block …

Biopolymers exist within living cells as far-from-equilibrium metastable polymers. Living
systems must constantly invest energy for biopolymer synthesis. In the earliest stages of life …

Polylactic acid (PLA) is an important polymer for the replacement of oil-based polymers in
the biomedical field as well as for degradable single use polymeric materials. To fully exploit …

Poly (lactic acid) is a biodegradable polymer that has enormous potential for use as a
replacement for some petroleum-based materials. However, the properties of this polymer …

Efficient production of lactide (LT) from highly concentrated lactic acid (LA) based on β
zeolite catalysts is highly desired for an economically sustainable polylactic acid (PLA) …

A challenge in the field of polymer network synthesis by a step-growth mechanism is the
quantification of the relative importance of inter-vs. intramolecular reactions. Here we use a …

We present synthetic experiments of lactic acid (LA) polycondensation to produce poly
(lactic acid)(PLA) as well as kinetic modeling calculations that capture the polymer …

Prebiotic polymerization had to be a nonenzymatic, chemically driven process. These
processes would have been particularly favored in scenarios which push reaction regimes …