Investigation into the crystallization of poly-lactic acid following the application of a novel high molecular weight, high epoxy functionality polymer chain extender

Cheng Zhong; Liuliu Ma; Xihao Wu; Shengren Si; Hao Duan

doi:10.1515/polyeng-2024-0224

Article

Investigation into the crystallization of poly-lactic acid following the application of a novel high molecular weight, high epoxy functionality polymer chain extender

Cheng Zhong , Liuliu Ma , Xihao Wu , Shengren Si and Hao Duan

Published/Copyright: January 24, 2025

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From the journal Journal of Polymer Engineering Volume 45 Issue 3

Abstract

This research explored the impact of a novel polymer chain extender with high epoxy functionality on the crystallization properties of polylactic acid (PLA). FT-IR and Raman spectrometer were utilized to characterize the structure of PLA after chain extension. The dosage of the chain extender (HSMG) in PLA was varied to investigate its effect on the crystallization behavior of PLA via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The results indicated that incorporating HSMG into PLA significantly altered its crystallization behavior, without significantly changing its crystal structure.

Keywords: PLA; chain extender; high epoxy functionality; isothermal crystallization

Corresponding author: Hao Duan, Fine-blend Polymer (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, P.R. China; and Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China, E-mail: 19110300053@fudan.edu.cn

Research ethics: Not applicable.
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Author contributions: Duan Hao: conceived aSnd designed the experiments. Zhong Cheng: analyzed the data. Ma Liuliu: contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools. Si Shengren: Performed the experiments. Zhong Cheng, Duan Hao, Wu Xihao: wrote the paper. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: None declared.
Data availability: Not applicable.
Patents: Patents have been filed for related work.

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Received: 2024-10-21

Accepted: 2024-12-22

Published Online: 2025-01-24

Published in Print: 2025-03-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/polyeng-2024-0224

Keywords for this article

PLA; chain extender; high epoxy functionality; isothermal crystallization