It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into polylactic acid. (Discuss)

Polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from lactic acid. It can be easily produced in a high molecular weight form through ring-opening polymerization using a stannous octoate catalyst. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Polylactic acid or PLA is made from lactic acid, which can be found in living things or from petrochemicals. ... Biodegradation is the decomposition of material by microorganisms. ... A thermoplastic is a plastic that softens when heated and hardens again when cooled. ... In chemistry, non-aromatic organic compounds are called aliphatic. ... Close-up of a polyester shirt SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ... Lactic acid (α-hydroxypropionic acid) is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemical processes. ... Close-up of a polyester shirt SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ...

Ring opening polymerization of lactide to polylactide

Due to the chiral nature of lactic acid several distinct forms of polylactide exist: poly-L-lactide (PLLA) is the product resulting from polymerization of lactid acid in the L form. PLLA has a crystallinity around 37%, a glass transition temperature between 50-80° C and a melting temperature between 173-178° C. The polymerization of a mixture of both L and D forms of lactic acid leads to the synthesis of poly-DL-lactide (PDLLA) which is not crystalline rather than amorphous. Image File history File links Ring opening polymerization of polylactide. ... In chemistry, a molecule is chiral if is not superimposable on its mirror image regardless of how it is contorted. ... A simplistic view of a materials glass transition temperature (Tg) is the temperature below which molecules have very little mobility. ... The melting point of a solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ...

Polylactide can be processed like most thermoplastics into fiber and film. It has also been used in a number of biomedical applications, such as sutures, dialysis media, and drug delivery devices. PLA is attractive as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical-derived products since the lactate from which it is ultimately produced can be derived from the fermentation of agricultural by-products such as corn starch. Fiber (American English) or fibre (Commonwealth English) is a class of materials that are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to pieces of thread. ... In medicine, renal dialysis is a method for removing waste such as urea from the blood when the kidneys are incapable of this (i. ... A petrochemical is any chemical derived from fossil fuel. ...