Triblock copolymers, poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl succinate)-b-poly(L-lactide) (PLLA-b-PMPS-b-PLLA), were synthesized as new biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers by two-step polymerization. In the first step, hydroxy-telechelic poly(2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl succinate) (PMPS) was synthesized from 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (MP, small excess) and succinic acid (SA) using two-stage reaction of esterification and simple polycondensation processes. In the second step, plant derived L-lactide (LLA) was polymerized using the bifunctional PMPS as a macroinitiator to synthesize PLLA-b-PMPS-b-PLLA triblock copolymers. The structures of the triblock copolymers as well as the PMPS macroinitiator were characterized by NMR and GPC analysis. PMPS is an amorphous polymer with T_g at lower than −24 °C. The triblock copolymers also exhibited low T_g for the PMPS segment at lower than −20 °C as well as T_m at around 150 °C for the PLLA segment. The tensile tests of the triblock copolymers demonstrated their low modulus and high elongation. The biodegradation tests of these polymers were also performed using enzymes and seawater to reveal their biodegradability.

三嵌段共聚物，聚（L-丙交酯） - b -聚（2-甲基-1,3-丙二基琥珀酸酯） - b -聚（L-丙交酯）（PLLA- b -PMPS- b -PLLA），合成为新两步聚合可生物降解的热塑性弹性体。在第一步中，使用以下两种方法由2-甲基-1,3-丙二醇（MP，少量过量）和琥珀酸（SA）合成羟基-telechelic聚（2-甲基-1,3-丙二琥珀酸酯）（PMPS）酯化和简单的缩聚过程的阶段反应。第二步，使用双官能PMPS作为大分子引发剂聚合植物衍生的L-丙交酯（LLA），以合成PLLA- b -PMPS- b-PLLA三嵌段共聚物。通过NMR和GPC分析表征了三嵌段共聚物以及PMPS大分子引发剂的结构。PMPS是一种非晶态聚合物，其T _g低于-24°C。三嵌段共聚物在低于-20°C的温度下对PMPS链段也显示出较低的T _g，而对于PLLA链段，则在150°C左右呈现出T _m。三嵌段共聚物的拉伸试验表明其低模量和高伸长率。还使用酶和海水对这些聚合物进行了生物降解测试，以揭示其生物降解性。