Comparison of Cyclic and Linear Poly(lactide)s Using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering.

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments were conducted on cyclic and linear polymers of racemic and l-lactides (PLA) with the goal of comparing chain configurations, scaling, and effective polymer-solvent interactions of the two topologies in acetone- and THF- . There are limited reports of SANS results on cyclic polymers due to the lack of substantial development in the field until recently. Now that pure, well-defined cyclic polymers are accessible, unanswered questions about their rheology and physical conformations can be better investigated.