Polymers from biocatalysis: materials with a broad spectrum of physical properties

Copolymers of omega-pentadecalactone (PDL) with epsylon-caprolactone, valerolactone, dioxanone and trimethylenecarbonate synthesized by biocatalysis show rather uncommon crystallization behavior, namely cocrystallization of the monomer units that leads to highly crystalline copolymers over the whole composition range. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance can be adjusted by a suitable choice of the comonomer and of composition, leading to materials with tunable hydrolytic degradation rate for environmental and biomedical applications. Copolyestercarbonates, copolyesteramides and polyol-containing copolyesters synthesized by lipase-catalysed polycondensation show strongly composition dependent physical properties, that can be easily tailored by composition control and cover the whole range from hard solid materials down to gluelike substances