Filling of poly(lactic acid) with native starch

Fabrication and characterization of poly(lactic acid)/acetyl tributyl citrate/carbon black as conductive polymer composites

By using acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) as the plasticizer of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and carbon black (CB) as conductive filler, electrically conductive polymer composites (CPC) with different CB and ATBC contents were prepared. FTIR revealed that the interaction existed between PLA/ATBC matrix and CB filler and ATBC could improve this interaction. The rheology showed that ATBC could obviously decrease the shear viscosity and improve the fluidity of the composites but just the reverse for CB. With the increasing of CB contents, the enforcement effect, storage modulus, and glass-transition temperature increased but the elongation at break decreased. PLA/ATBC/CB composites exhibited the low electrical percolation thresholds of 0.516, 1.20, 2.46, and 2.74 vol % CB at 30, 20, 10, and 0 wt % ATBC. The conductivity of the composite containing 3.98 vol % CB and 30 wt % ATBC reached 1.60 S/cm. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the addition of ATBC facilitated the dispersion of the CB in the PLA matrix. Water vapor permeability (WVP) showed that, at the same CB contents, the more ATBC contents there were, the less the values of WVP were.

Controlling protein release from scaffolds using polymer blends and composites

We report the development of three protein loaded polymer blend and composite materials that modify the release kinetics of the protein from poly(dl-lactic acid) (P(dl)LA) scaffolds. P(dl)LA has been combined with either poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(caprolactone) (PCL) microparticles or calcium alginate fibres using supercritical CO(2) (scCO(2)) processing to form single and dual protein release scaffolds. P(dl)LA was blended with the hydrophilic polymer PEG using scCO(2) to increase the water uptake of the resultant scaffold and modify the release kinetics of an encapsulated protein. This was demonstrated by the more rapid release of the protein when compared to the release rate from P(dl)LA only scaffolds. For the P(dl)LA/alginate scaffolds, the protein loaded alginate fibres were processed into porous protein loaded P(dl)LA scaffolds using scCO(2) to produce dual release kinetics from the scaffolds. Protein release from the hydrophilic alginate fibres was more rapid in the initial stages, complementing the slower release from the slower degrading P(dl)LA scaffolds. In contrast, when protein loaded PCL particles were loaded into P(dl)LA scaffolds, the rate of protein release was retarded from the slow degrading PCL phase.

Physical Characterization of Coupled Poly(lactic acid)/Starch/Maleic Anhydride Blends Plasticized by Acetyl Triethyl Citrate

Acetyl triethyl citrate (ATC) was used as a plasticizer for poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/starch blends coupled with maleic anhydride and an initiator of 2,5-bis(tert-butylperoxy)-2,5-dimethylhexane (L101). Elongation of the blend at break was markedly increased when the ATC content was above the 8% loading level, which is referred to as the percolation threshold. The extended elongation was achieved at the expense of tensile strength and elastic modulus. Thermal transitions of the blend, including the glass transition temperature (T(g)), cold crystallization temperature (T(c)) and melting temperature (T(m)), decreased with ATC content. Thermally induced ATC migration affected the thermal behavior of the plasticized blends and reduced elongation and tensile strength, whereas the elasticity modulus increased. ATC migration increased with ambient temperature, which was controlled by the activation energy of the blend system. Leaching of ATC was slow at room temperature in distilled water, but significant in boiling water. Additionally, the leaching rate was also directly proportional to the ATC content of the blend. Glass transition temperatures of PLA/starch/MA/L101 blends with various acetryl triethyl citrate contents.

Morphology Control in Co-continuous Poly(l-lactide)/Polystyrene Blends: A Route towards Highly Structured and Interconnected Porosity in Poly(l-lactide) Materials

Poly(L-lactide) is a biodegradable polymer primarily used in biomedical applications. In this paper, both the microstructure and the region of dual-phase continuity are examined for binary and compatibilized poly(L-lactide)/polystyrene blends (PLLA/PS) prepared by melt mixing. The blends are shown to be completely immiscible with an interfacial tension of 6.1 mN/m. The PS-b-PLLA (24,000-b-28,000) diblock copolymer compatibilizer has an asymmetric effect on the blend. It is effective at compatibilizing 50/50 PLLA/PS blends but is only a marginal emulsifier for blends where PLLA is the dominant matrix. Percent continuity, as estimated by solvent extraction/gravimetry and also torque/composition diagrams clearly indicate an onset of the region of dual-phase continuity at 40-45%PS. It is demonstrated that highly percolated blends of the above materials exist from 40 to 75% PS and 40 to 60% PS for the binary and compatibilized blends, respectively. The scale of the microstructure of the continuous morphology is measured using BET and mercury intrusion porosimetry techniques, after extraction of the PS phase. Both the pore size and extent of continuity can be controlled through composition and interfacial modification. Static annealing of the blend after melt mixing can also be used to substantially increase the pore size of the system. Extraction of the PS phase in the blend, carried out after the above preparation protocols, is a route to generating completely interconnected porosity of highly controlled morphologies (pore size, void volume) in poly(L-lactide) materials. In this study, the pore diameter was controlled from 0.9 to 72 microm for a constant void volume of 45-47%, and the void volume was modified from 35 to 74% depending on the blend composition.