High molar mass poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is obtained by either the polycondensation of lactic acid or ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of the cyclic dimer 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dione, commonly referred to as dilactide or lactide (LA). This chapter describes preparation of polymers and copolymers of LAs with different structures, using polycondensation and ROP. Typical comonomers and polymers which are used for lactic acid or LA copolymerization include glycolic acid or glycolide, poly(ethylene glycol) or poly(ethylene oxide), and so on. PLAs having amino, carboxyl, or other functional groups are well reported in the literature. These functional groups can be utilized for chemical modification or as binding sites for biomolecules to impart selective binding and adhesion. PLA and its copolymers especially when used for biological applications, besides requirement of optimization of mechanical properties by engineering at the molecular level, also demands a fast degradation polymer rate.

A facile one-pot spray-drying process was developed for fabrication and in-situ crosslinking of chitosan microspheres to improve the adsorption capacity by microscopic design. A fully biobased nature was achieved by utilizing genipin (GP) as a crosslinking agent and chitosan derived nano-graphene oxide (nGO) as a property tuner. The produced chitosan microspheres were further proven as powerful adsorbents for common wastewater contaminants such as anionic dyes and pharmaceutical contaminants, here modelled by methyl orange (MO) and diclofenac sodium (DCF). By regulating the amount of GP and nGO, as well as by controlling the process parameters including the spraydrying inlet temperature and post-heat treatment, the surface morphology, size, zeta potential and adsorption efficiency of the microspheres could be tuned accordingly. The adsorption efficiency for MO and DCF reached 98.9 and 100 %, respectively. The microspheres retained high DCF adsorption efficiency after six adsorption and desorption cycles and the recyclability was improved by incorporated nGO. The fabricated microspheres, thus, have great potential as reusable and eco-friendly adsorbents.