A simple synthetic route to the formation of a block copolymer of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and polylysine for the fabrication of functionalized, degradable structures for biomedical applications.

This article documents the formation of a block copolymer of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and polylysine via a simple coupling technique using dicyclohexyl carbodiimide (DCC). The resulting polymer has been characterized via UV-Vis spectroscopy, GPC, (1)H NMR, and elemental analysis, is soluble in a wide variety of solvents, and is easily processable, making the technique a simple and practical one for the formation of functionalized, degradable block copolymers for the fabrication of functionalized structures for biomedical applications. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.