Catalytic System for Poly(lactic acid) Synthesis: Opportunities and Challenges

With the national plastic reduction order issued, the development of biodegradable materials such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has gradually become a hot topic.The different methods for synthesizing polylactic acid are discussed.Since the ring-opening polymerization of lactide has become the major method for preparing PLA, we focused on the catalyst design for the process, and clarified the related mechanisms.This short review may point out the direction for the design and development of low-toxicity and high-selectivity catalyst systems for application.