A path to sustainable and biodegradable polyesters | Biopolymer Conference 2023 | May 15-16, 2023 | Singapore City Singapore

One of the largest challenges in polymer chemistry is controlling the tacticity or the stereochemistry of the polymer. When multiplying monomer subunits into the macromolecular chain, it's difficult for scientists to replicate a consistent arrangement of side-chain functional groups stemming off the main polymer chain. These side-chain functional groups greatly affect a polymer's physical and chemical properties, such as melting temperature or glass-transition temperature, and regular stereochemistry leads to better properties.

O-carboxyanhydrides are made out of amino acids, which are natural organic compounds, so these polyesters would degrade, unlike the current nondegradable polyolefins. In addition, O-carboxyanhydrides can bring different functional groups to the polyester and diversify the polymer's application. Currently, the FDA has only approved a few polyesters for biomedical application.