Polylactic acid, also known as poly or polylactide, is a plastic material. As a thermoplastic polyester it has the backbone formula
ₙ or [–CHCO–]
ₙ. PLA is formally obtained by condensation of lactic acid CHCOOH with loss of water. It can also be prepared by ring-opening polymerization of lactide [–CHCO–]
₂, the cyclic dimer of the basic repeating unit. Often PLA is blended with other polymers. PLA can be biodegradable or long-lasting, depending on the manufacturing process, additives and copolymers. From Wikipedia
