• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.269-272
• /
• 2007

In this study, we investigated the effects of electron beam irradiation on the rheological properties of PLA for enhancing processability. The electron beam was irradiated onto the pure PLA, chemically modified PLA by reactive extrusion, and PLA containing functional monomer. The complex viscosity and log G'vs. log G" plot among dynamic rheological properties were chosen for comparison. The complex viscosity of irradiated pure and chemically modified PLA decreased significantly due to de-gradation of PLA molecules with increasing the E-beam dosages. Complex viscosity of irradiated PLA with functional monomer showed maximum value at moderate dosage, while at high dosage the complex viscosity was decreased by a prolonged irradiation.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.68-72
• /
• 2005

A low-molecular-weight poly(lactic acid) was synthesized through the condensation reaction of L-lactic acid. The effects that the catalyst and temperature have on the reaction rate were studied to determine the optimum reaction conditions. The reaction kinetics increased with temperature up to $210^{\circ}C$, but no further increase was observed above this temperature. Among a few selective catalysts, sulfuric acid was the most effective because it maximized the polymerization reaction rate. Reduction of the pressure was another important factor that enhanced this reactions kinetics.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.71-77
• /
• 2005

We investigated thermal, rheological, morphological and mechanical properties of a binary blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate adipate) (PBSA). The blends were extruded and their molded properties were examined. DSC thermograms of blends indicated that the thermal properties of PLA did not change noticeably with the amount of PBSA, but thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal stability of the blends was lower than that of pure PLA and PBSA. Immiscibility was checked with thermal data. The rheological properties of the blends changed remarkably with composition. The tensile strength and modulus of blends decreased with PBSA content. Interestingly, however, the impact strength of PLA/PBSA (80/20) blend was seriously increased higher than the rule of mixture. Morphology of the blends showed a typical sea and island structure of immiscible blend. The effect of the blend composition on the biodegradation was also investigated. In the early stage of the degradation test, the highest rate was observed for the blend containing $80wt\%$ PBSA.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 2009

This study investigates the metal adsorption properties of poly (lactic acid)-g-acrylic acid (PLA-g- AAc) synthesized by UV irradiation method. The properties including degree of grafting, water content, and ion exchange capacity (IC) strongly depend on the critical experimental factors such as UV intensity and AAc concentration. Under the optimized condition, the maximum degree of grafting, the IC value, and water content are 28%, 1.13 meq/g, and 38%, respectively. The synthesized ion exchanger shows strong capacity of adsorption for divalent metal ions such as $Cu^{2+}$, $Ni^{2+}$, and $Co^{2+}$, and greater selectivity of adsorption for $Cu^{2+}$.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.914-920
• /
• 2015

In this paper, the crystal structure and the crystallinity of PLA(PolyLactic Acid) were studied. PLA is a eco-friendly thermoplastic which completely decomposed by microorganisms, but has low thermal stability and low degree of crystallinity. The low crystallization rate makes the cycle time of injection molding longer and the degree of crystallinity lower. It is a very big disadvantage comparing the other thermoplastics. We improved the degree of crystallinity and the crystallization rate by introducing nucleating agents and plasticizer, and discussed the mechanism.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.36-41
• /
• 2019

This study was conducted to analyze the difference in mechanically improved properties by distinguishing α-chitin and β-chitin for Poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA). First, dissolution of chitins was established by mixing polar solvents hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in appropriate proportions. Under these conditions, the dissolved chitin was used for electrospinning with other polymers. The electrospun nanofibers of the PLLA and chitins were successfully produced. Compared to the pristine state, when chitin was added to PLLA, the tensile strength increased 1.41 times (α-chitin), by 1.61 times (β- chitin), respectively. Based on this, it was confirmed that α- and β- chitin could be strategically used for different polymers. The results also suggest that chitin can be applied to various fields as good reinforcing material as well as electrospinning.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.100-109
• /
• 2015

Environmental problems from petroleum-based plastic wastes have been rapidly increasing in recent years. The alternative solution is focus on the development of environmental friendly plastic derived from renewable resource. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer synthesized from biomass having potential to replace the petroleum-based non-degradable polymers utilizations. PLA can be synthesized by two methods: (1) ring-opening of lactide intermediate and (2) direct polycondensation of lactic acid processes. The latter process has advantages on high yields and high purity of polymer products, materials handling and ease of process treatments. The polymerization process of PLA synthesis has been widely studied in a laboratory scale. However, the mass scale production using direct polycondensation of lactic acid has not been reported. We have investigated the kinetics and scale-up process of direct polycondensation method to produce PLA in a pilot scale. The order of reaction is 2 and activation energy of lactic acid to lactic acid oligomers is 61.58 kJ/mol. The pre-polymer was further polymerized in a solid state polymerization (SSP) process. The synthesized PLA from both the laboratory and pilot scales show the comparable properties such as melting temperature and molecular weight. The appearance of synthesized PLA is yellow-white solid powder.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Rheology Conference
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.179-182
• /
• 2006

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.104-109
• /
• 2023

Electrospinning was performed using an eco-friendly solvent composed of acetic acid, ethyl acetate and distilled water to investigate the effect of gelatin concentration on mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of absorbable poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA)/gelatin blend membrane. The tensile stress, strain at break, and WUC of the PDLLA/gelatin (97/3) scaffold at 26 wt% concentration were determined to be 3.9 ± 0.7 MPa, 37 ± 1.3 %, and 273 ± 33 %, respectively. FT-IR results revealed that PDLLA and gelatin were bound only by van der Waals interactions. The cell viability of PDLLA/gelatin membranes containing 0 %, 1 %, 2 %, 3 %, and 4 % gelatin were more than 100 %, which makes all membranes highly suitable as a barrier membrane for absorbable periodontal tissue regeneration due to their marketed physical properties and biocompatibility.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.461-468
• /
• 2018

Microspheres were prepared by solvent-evaporation method with Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) as a starting material, and the effects of preparation variables on microsphere shape and average particle size were investigated. As the concentration of PVA solution increased from 1 to 5 wt%, the average particle size decreased from $370{\mu}m$ to $160{\mu}m$ and then increased to $240{\mu}m$ at 7 wt%. On the other hand, As the addition volume of PVA solution increased from 10 mL to 50 mL, the average particle size decreased from $370{\mu}m$ to $220{\mu}m$. Also, as the stirring speed increased from 500 rpm to 1,500 rpm, the average particle size decreased from $370{\mu}m$ to $110{\mu}m$. When dichloromethane and chloroform were used as organic solvents, respectively, the average particle size did not show any significant difference. However, when dichloromethane was used, voids were observed on the particle surface, but when chloroform was used, smooth spherical particles were obtained.