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Structure and blood compatibility of highly oriented poly(lactic acid)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends produced by solid hot stretching
Author(s) -
Zhao Xiaowen,
Ye Lin,
Coates Phil,
CatonRose Fin,
Martyn Michasel
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.3156
Subject(s) - materials science , thermoplastic polyurethane , crystallinity , crystallization , ultimate tensile strength , composite material , lactic acid , glass transition , biocompatibility , compounding , clotting time , polylactic acid , thermoplastic , chemical engineering , polymer , elastomer , platelet , biology , bacteria , engineering , metallurgy , genetics , immunology
Highly oriented poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends were fabricated through solid hot stretching technology in an effort to improve the mechanical properties and blood biocompatibility of PLA as blood‐contacting medical devices. It was found that the tensile strength and modulus of the blends can be improved dramatically by stretching. With the increase of draw ratio, the cold crystallization peak became smaller, and the glass transition and the melting peak moved to high temperature, while the crystallinity increased, and the grain size of PLA decreased, indicating of the stress‐induced crystallization during drawing. The oriented blends exhibited structures with longitudinal striations which indicate the presence of micro‐fibers. TPU phase was finely and homogeneously dispersed in the PLA, and after drawing, TPU domains were elongated to ellipsoid. The introduction of TPU and orientation could enhance the blood compatibility of PLA by prolonging kinetic clotting time, and decreasing hemolysis ratio and platelet activation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.