Synthetic and degradable polymers are an attractive choicein many areas, since it is possible to control the way in whichthey are manufactured; more specifically, pathways tomanipulate the architecture, the mechanical properties and thedegradation times have been identified. In this work,L-lactide, 1,5-dioxepan-2-one and ε-caprolactone were usedas monomers to synthesize polymers with different architecturesby ring-opening polymerization. By using novel initiators,triblock copolymers, functionalized linear macromonomers andstar-shaped aliphatic polyesters with well-defined structureshave been synthesized. To synthesize triblock copolymers,cyclic germanium initiators were studied. The polymerizationproceeded in a controlled manner although the reaction rateswere low. To introduce functionality into the polymer backbone,functionalized cyclic tin alkoxides were prepared and used asinitiators. During the insertion-coordination polymerization,the initiator fragment consisting mainly of a double bond wasincorporated into the polymer backbone. The double bond wasalso successfully epoxidized and this gave unique possibilitiesof synthesizing graft polymers with precise spacing. Themacromonomer technique is a very effective method for producingwell-defined graft polymers. Spirocyclic tin initiators weresynthesized and used to construct star-shaped polymers. Thestar-shaped polymers were subsequently crosslinked in apolycondensation reaction. These crosslinked structures swelledin water, and swelling tests showed that by changing thestructure of the hydrogel network, the degree of swelling canbe altered. A first evaluation of the surface characteristicsof the linear triblock copolymers was also performed. AFManalysis of the heat-treated surfaces revealed nanometer-scalefibers and tests showed that keratinocytes were able to growand proliferate on these surfaces. / QC 20100602