Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Based Graft Copolymers: Synthesis Methods and Applications in the Biomedical Field: A Review

Synthetic biopolymers are attractive alternatives to biobased polymers, especially because they rarely induce an immune response in a living organism. Poly E-caprolactone (PCL) is a well-known synthetic aliphatic polyester universally used for many applications, including biomedical and environmental ones. Unlike poly lactic acid (PLA), PCL has no chiral atoms, and it is impossible to play with the stereochemistry to modify its properties. To expand the range of applications for PCL, researchers have investigated the possibility of grafting polymer chains onto the PCL backbone. As the PCL backbone is not functionalized, it must be first functionalized in order to be able to graft reactive groups onto the PCL chain. These reactive groups will then allow the grafting of new reagents and especially new polymer chains. Grafting of polymer chains is mainly carried out by grafting from or grafting onto methods. In this review we describe the main structures of the graft copolymers produced, their different synthesis methods, and their main characteristics and applications, mainly in the biomedical field.

Automated summary

Synthetic biopolymers are attractive alternatives to biobased polymers due to their low immune response in living organisms. This review explores the potential of grafting polymer chains onto the backbone of poly E-caprolactone (PCL) to expand its applications, with a focus on the biomedical field.