Cyclic polyesters: synthetic approaches and potential applications

The synthetic strategies that have been developed for the preparation of cyclic polyesters are reviewed. While linear and branched polyesters are used extensively for biomedical and materials applications, the synthetic difficulty of preparing cyclic polyesters has limited their exploration. Recently synthetic methodologies have been developed which compliment previous techniques, and promise to increase the availability of cyclic polyesters for future studies. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed, as well as some of the unique physical properties demonstrated by cyclic polymers.