Macromolecular design of specialty polylactides by means of controlled copolymerization and stereocomplexation

Among the biobased polymers developed, poly‐ l ‐lactide ( PLLA ) has been the most widely used in many fields because of its excellent cost − property balance. However, the properties and functionalities of PLLA cannot easily be controlled like the conventional petroleum‐based polymers, retarding the progress of its manufacturing on a large scale. One approach to obtain high‐performance and specialty polylactides is to use stereocomplex‐type polylactides (sc‐ PLA ) that can be obtained by mixing PLLA and its enantiomer poly‐ d ‐lactide. The other approach is to use copolymers consisting of polylactides ( PLA ) and other types of macromolecular chains. Here we demonstrate how such high‐performance and specialty PLA polymers can be designed and synthesized. These macromolecular designs and synthetic methodologies are highly effective for controlling the structure and properties of PLA polymers for use as biomedical and high‐end industrial materials.