Effect of chain architecture and comonomer ratio on the biodegradability and thermal stability of biodegradable copolymers of l-lactide and δ-valerolactone

Novel biodegradable copolymers of ʟ-lactide (LA) and δ-valerolactone (VL) were bulk polymerized using stannous octoate as a catalyst initiated with salicylic acid or benzyl alcohol via ring-expansion or ring-opening polymerization, respectively.