Miscibility and hydrolytic degradation in alkaline solution of poly( l-lactide) and poly( p-vinyl phenol) blends

• Published in: Polymer Degradation and Stability Vol. 92; no. 8; pp. 1626 - 1631
• Main Authors: Shirahase, Tomoko, Komatsu, Yoichi, Marubayashi, Hironori, Tominaga, Yoichi, Asai, Shigeo, Sumita, Masao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2007; Elsevier BV; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical reactions and properties; Degradation; Exact sciences and technology; Heat resistance improvement; Miscible blend; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Poly( l-lactide); Polymer blend; Degradation; Poly( l-lactide); Heat resistance improvement; Polymer blend; Miscible blend; Elastic modulus; Polymer blends; Property composition relationship; Mechanical properties; Chemical degradation; Poly(L-lactide); Experimental study; Lactone polymer; Styrene(hydroxy) polymer; Hydrolysis; Hydrolysis resistance; Lactic acid polymer; Morphology; Aliphatic polymer; Miscibility; Basic medium; Chemical properties; Thermodynamic properties
• ISSN: 0141-3910; 1873-2321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2007.04.003

Poly( l-lactide) (PLLA) was melt-blended with poly( p-vinyl phenol) (PVPh) using a two-roll mill, and the miscibility between PLLA and PVPh and degradation of the blend films were investigated. It was found that PLLA/PVPh blend has miscibility in the amorphous state because only single T g was observed in the DSC and DMA measurements. The T g of the PLLA/PVPh blend could be controlled in the temperature range from 55 °C to 117 °C by changing the PVPh weight fraction. In alkaline solution, degradation rate of PLLA/PVPh blends was faster than that of neat PLLA because PVPh could dissolve in alkaline solution. The surface morphology of degraded PLLA and PLLA/PVPh blend were observed by SEM. The surface morphology of degraded PLLA/PVPh blend was finer than that of PLLA. Young's modulus of PLLA/PVPh blend increased with increasing PVPh content. Yield stress of PLLA/PVPh blends whose PVPh content was less than 30 wt% kept the level of about 55 MPa and that of PLLA/PVPh blend whose PVPh content was 40 wt% is much lower than that of neat PLLA.