Abstract

The article reviews the research progress in the preparation of polycaprolactone through the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone initiated by biopolymers in recent years. The structure characteristics of starch, cellulose, chitosan, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and polylactic acid, the reaction mechanism, the preparation method, and the application of ε-caprolactone are introduced. Finally, the future development of new polycaprolactone copolymers is prospected.

Keywords: Starch, chitosan, cellulose, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid, ε-caprolactone, ring-opening polymerization.

Graphical Abstract