ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the synthesis technique of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) via ring-opening polymerization. METHODS: Orthogonal experiments were carried out to optimize the synthesis conditions of PLGA under atmospheric condition. Three batches of repeated experiments were conducted to verify the technological conditions. RESULTS: The target product could be synthesized by using 0.03% stannous octoate and 0.02% lauryl alcohol reacted at 16°C for 10 h at a stir speed of 300 r·min-1. The ratio of glycolide and lactide was determined to be 45:55 to ensure the formation of PLGA5050. CONCLUSION: The screened out synthesis technique can obtain PLGA5050 with Mw of 52000 and coefficient of distribution between 1.5-1.7 at atmospheric pressure, and its quality is controllable.