Syntheses and Properties of Novel Copolymers of Polylactide and Aliphatic Polycarbonate Based on Ketal-Protected Dihydroxyacetone

The novel random copolymers of L-LA and 2, 2-ethylenedioxy-1, 3-propanediol carbonate (EOPDC) were synthesized in bulk using Sn(Oct)2 as a catalyst. The poly(EOPDC -co- L-LA)s obtained were characterized by FT IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, GPC and DSC. The copolymers were obtained with yield of 87.9–95.6%. The number average molecular weight of the copolymer is 1.85–6.18 × 104 with a polydispersity of 1.41–1.73. The properties of the copolymer including the enzymatic degradation by proteinase K and drug-controlled release property were also investigated. The results show that the degradation rate of the copolymers increases with increasing LA content in the copolymers.