Macromolecular engineering of lactone-based (co)polymers for biomedical applications

Ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone and lactides by aluminum alkoxides allows aliphatic polyesters to be tailored at will and fitted to requirements for biomedical applications, particularly for controlled drug delivery systems. Variation in molecular weight controls the effective life time of microspheres or implants in vivo. Block copolymerization leads to microphase separated materials and opportunity to modify the overall release kinetics and to get, for instance, a zero-order. Macromonomers and dimacromonomers are ideal precursors for physically and chemically stabilized hydrogels, respectively. Dimacromonomers can actually generate amphiphilic networks.