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Chapter 4

1 Polylactide (PLA) has received much attention in recent years


1 Polylactide (PLA) has received much attention in recent years due to its biodegradable properties, which off er important economic benefi ts. 2 PLA is a polymer obtained from corn and is produced by the polymerisation of lactide. 3 It has many possible uses in the biomedical fi eld1 and has also been investigated as a potential engineering material.2,3 4 However, it has been found to be too weak under impact to be used commercially.4