Table 1.

Summary of Polymer Blends.

Polymer	Properties	Study Type	Degradation	Clinical Application	Reference
Poly-l/dl-Lactide [(P[L/DL]LA)] (70/30) Copolymer	Sufficient to support fractures, bendable	In vivo, human	Consistent with bone healing	Orbital fractures	[11]
P(D(2%),L(98%))lactide Copolymer	Sufficient to support fractures, bendable	In vivo, human	Consistent with bone healing	Interference fixation screws for anterior cruciate ligament surgery	[12]
PLGA (l-lactide 82: glycolide 18) Copolymer	7 GPa Young’s modulus 50% by 12 weeks	In vitro	50% decline in mechanical properties by 12 weeks, peak retention at 8 weeks	Choice of material in foot surgery	[13]
PLGA/PLA (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100) Copolymer	N/A	In vivo, rodent	2 weeks–6 months	Oral resorbable implants	[14]
Poly(lactic acid)- b-poly(lactide- co-caprolactone) (PLA-b-PLCL) 30 wt% PLCL Copolymer	173 MPa tensile strength 5.4 GPa Young’s modulus)	In vitro	N/A	Smart bone fixation material with shape memory effect	[15]
PLLA/PHBV (40:60) Blend	Improved elasticity compared to PLLA	In vitro	PLLA: 12 weeks, PHBV: 53 weeks	Orthopaedics	[16]
P(L/D,L)lactide/TMC (56:24:20 and 49:21:30) Copolymer	Decrease in Young’s modulus and tensile strength compared to P(L/D,L)LA (0.9 GPa from 3.1, 27 MPa from 50 MPa)	In vitro	N/A	Soft tissue engineering	[17]
Poly-e-caprolactone-co-l-lactide (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 60:40) compatibilised with 2.0 phr Joncryl® Blend	Young’s modulus/stress at break: 100:0—1.5 GPa/57.6 MPa 90:10—1.2 GPa/44.8 MPa 80:20—1.1 GPa/41.8 MPa 60:40—0.32 GPa/14.6 MPa	In vitro	N/A	Long term implantable devices, tissue engineering, drug delivery	[18]
Poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)/(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PDLGA/PLCL) PDLGA(dl-lactide/glycolide, 53/47 M ratio), 70/30 l-lactide/ɛ-caprolactone M ratio PDLGA/PLCL (80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80) Blend	Young’s modulus/Yield strength PDLGA—1.2 GPa/36 MPa PDLGA:PLCL(80:20)—1.1 GPa/28 MPa PDLGA:PLCL (60:40)—0.6 GPa/19 MPa PDLGA:PLCL (40:60)—0.02 GPa/5.6 MPa PDLGA:PLCL (20:80)—7.1 MPa/-	In vitro	Degradation accelerated by larger amounts of PLDGA. PDLGA has a lower molecular weight compared with PLCL; therefore, favours an increased hydrolytic degradation rate	Minimally invasive surgery, shape memory polymer	[19]
PDLLA/P(TMC-CL) (Poly(l/d-lactide) (85:15)/20% wt (50/50 trimethylene carbonate-co-e-caprolactone) Blend	Decrease in tensile strength (50 MPa (PLDLA) in comparison to 30 MPa (PLDLA20%P(TMC)CL)), bending modulus increase (2.7 GPa to 4.9 GPa), elongation increase (7.5% to 130%), increase in impact strength	In vitro and in vivo, canine	No significant mass loss up to 45 weeks in vitro, in vivo healing within 12 weeks, screws and plates loosened after 18 weeks	Single fractures of the mandible	[20]