Ring-opening precipitation polymerization of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) in supercritical carbon dioxide

The biodegradable polymer poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) was synthesized by a ring-opening precipitation polymerization in supercritical CO2 using stannous octoate as initiator. Following polymerization, unreacted monomer was removed by supercritical fluid extraction and the polymer was recovered as a porous solid upon depressurization of the CO2 phase. The lactide to glycolide ratio of the polymer was determined to be 70.7 : 29.3 using 13C NMR spectroscopy. The weight-average molecular weight of the product was measured to be 3 500, with a polydispersity of 1.4 using gel permeation chromatography.