Volume 136, Issue 2 46933
Article

Hydrolytic and thermal degradation of polyethylene glycol compatibilized poly(lactic acid)-nanocrystalline cellulose bionanocomposites

Ping Zhang

Corresponding Author

Ping Zhang

Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315100, China

Correspondence to: P. Zhang (E-mail: [email protected])Search for more papers by this author
Yi-Yao He

Yi-Yao He

School of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China

Search for more papers by this author
De Gao

De Gao

Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315100, China

Search for more papers by this author
Yingfeng Cai

Yingfeng Cai

Research and Development, China Gongniu Group Limited Corporation, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315314, China

Search for more papers by this author
Bingren Liu

Bingren Liu

Research and Development, China Gongniu Group Limited Corporation, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315314, China

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 17 July 2018
Citations: 8

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effect of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the hydrolytic degradation behavior of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bio-nanocomposites compared with that of neat PLA, under specific environmental condition, namely at 37°C in a pH 7.4 phosphate buffer medium for a time period up to 60 days. The water absorption, mass loss, molecular weight, and the morphologies of nanocomposites before and after degradation were explored. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal decomposition of the PLA/NCC/PEG nanocomposites before and after degradation. The results showed that the presence of hydrophilic NCC and PEG significantly accelerated the hydrolytic degradation of PLA, which was related to the rapid dissolution of PEG causing easy access of water molecules to the composites and initiating fast hydrolytic chain scission of PLA. The thermal degradation temperatures of the nanocomposites slightly decreased due to the poor thermal stability of NCC in comparison with that of the neat PLA. After degradation, the thermal stability of the separated PLA from nanocomposites significantly decreased because the molecular decreased during the hydrolytic process. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 46933.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.