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Synergistic effect of GMA and TMPTA as co-agent to adjust the branching structure of PLLA during UV-induced reactive extrusion

  • Xi Chen , Wei-Tao Huang , Bing-Yu Yuan , Guang-Jian He EMAIL logo , Xiao-Chun Yin and Xian-Wu Cao
Published/Copyright: July 4, 2023
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Journal of Polymer Engineering
From the journal Journal of Polymer Engineering Volume 43 Issue 7

Abstract

In this work, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and trimethylol propanetriacrylate (TMPTA) are employed to adjust the branching structure of poly L-lactide acid (PLLA) during reactive extrusion induced by UV irradiation. The reaction of GMA epoxide with terminal carboxyl or hydroxyl groups at PLLA chain end can introduce C=C groups onto PLLA molecular chains. Chain branching reaction occurred via the free-radical grafting reaction of the vinyl group in TMPTA with both PLLA backbone and the C=C group terminated PLLA induced by UV irradiation. As a result, varied branching levels can be obtained by changing the ratio of GMA and TMPTA. The characterizations of rheological properties and size exclusive chromatograph correlated to the chain branches were performed to evaluate the chain branching extent. The increases in shear viscosity and storage modulus at terminal zone, and the reduced branching degree were observed in the branched PLLA samples. The results from 1H-NMR and FIRT indicate that the grafting reaction of GMA onto PLLA take place successfully. Thus, this study proposes a strategy to adjust LCB-PLA structure using GMA and TMPTA as co-agents, which is of great importance for the industrialization of PLA products.

Keywords: long chain branches; polylactic acid; reactive extrusion; UV irradiation
Corresponding author: Guang-Jian He, Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China; National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, Guangzhou, China; and School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, E-mail:

Funding source: The Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2018A030313275

Funding source: The National Natural Science Foundation of China

Award Identifier / Grant number: 51973068

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 51973068) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (grant no. 2018A030313275).

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2023-04-25
Accepted: 2023-06-21
Published Online: 2023-07-04
Published in Print: 2023-08-28

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  2. Material Properties
  3. The degradation behaviors of optical cellulose triacetate films in alkali/acid solutions
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  10. Engineering and Processing
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  12. Synergistic effect of GMA and TMPTA as co-agent to adjust the branching structure of PLLA during UV-induced reactive extrusion
https://doi.org/10.1515/polyeng-2023-0106
Keywords for this article
long chain branches; polylactic acid; reactive extrusion; UV irradiation

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Material Properties
  3. The degradation behaviors of optical cellulose triacetate films in alkali/acid solutions
  4. Exploration of dielectric spectra of variously synthesized epoxy/ZnO nanocomposites
  5. Preparation and Assembly
  6. Preparation and evaluation of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels with zinc oxide nanoparticles as a drug controlled release agent for a hydrophilic drug
  7. PVA-borax/g-C3N4 nanocomposite hydrogel with excellent mechanical property and self-healing efficiency
  8. Fabrication and characterization of microencapsulated dimethyl adipate phase change material with melamine-formaldehyde shell for cold thermal energy storage in coating
  9. Preparation and performance of “three-layer sandwich” composite loose nanofiltration membrane based on mussel bionic technology
  10. Engineering and Processing
  11. Electrospinning and electrospun based polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers utilized as filters and sensors in the real world
  12. Synergistic effect of GMA and TMPTA as co-agent to adjust the branching structure of PLLA during UV-induced reactive extrusion
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