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Biodegradable poly( L ‐lactic acid)/TiO 2 nanocomposites: Thermal properties and degradation
Author(s) -
Buzarovska Aleksandra,
Grozdanov Anita
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.34729
Subject(s) - crystallinity , nanocomposite , materials science , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , degradation (telecommunications) , lactic acid , titanium dioxide , hydrolysis , chemical engineering , filler (materials) , photocatalysis , nuclear chemistry , composite material , catalysis , chemistry , organic chemistry , telecommunications , biology , computer science , bacteria , engineering , genetics
Poly( L ‐lactic acid)‐titanium dioxide nanocomposites (with various loadings of TiO 2 : 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 wt %) were produced by solution casting method. The influence of TiO 2 on thermal properties and crystallinity of PLA was investigated by DSC and FTIR spectroscopy. The TiO 2 nano filler has no significant influence on the characteristic temperatures ( T g , T c , and T m ), but has high impact on the crystallinity of these systems. The degree of crystallinity X c significantly increases for PLA nanocomposites loaded with up to 5 wt % of TiO 2 , while for 10 wt % load of TiO 2 it drops below X c of the pure resin. The degradation of the prepared composites was evaluated hydrolytically in 1 N NaOH, enzymatically in α‐amylase solutions, and under UV irradiation. The catalytic effect of TiO 2 nano particles on the degradation processes under UV light exposure (λ = 365 nm) and hydrolytic degradation was confirmed with the increase of the filler content. The opposite effect was identified in enzymatic degradation experiments. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012