| abstract |
Biodegradable compositions of L-lactide, D-lactide, meso D,L-lactide, and racemic D,L-lactide which are suitable for pliable films and other packaging applications are prepared by polymerizing L-lactide, D-lactide, D,L-lactide or mixtures thereof using a catalyst at controlled conditions to allow the polymer in the composition to be plasticized by unreacted lactide monomer. Environmentally biodegradable polymer, composition and process for a polymer and a composition. The biodegradable polymer comprises polymerized lactic acid units of structure (I), where n is an integer between 75 and 10,000 and the alpha carbon is a mixture of L- and D-configurations where the unoriented polymer has a tensile strength of at least 5,000 psi and tangent modulus of at least 200,000 psi. Another embodiment provides for an environmentally degradable composition comprising blends of a physical mixture of polylactic acid, and a polymer selected from the group consisting of the polymers of ethylene terephthalate, a polymer or copolymer of styrene, ethylene, propylene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, alkyl methacrylate, alkyl acrylate, and physical mixtures thereof. |