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PLA degradation pathway obtained from direct polycondensation of 2-hydroxypropanoic acid using different chain extenders

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Abstract

This work is focused on the structural, thermal and mechanical studies of direct polycondensation of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) modified with three different chain extenders (1,3-phenylene-bis-2-oxazoline, PBO; pyromellitic dianhydride, PMDA; and 1,1′-carbonyl bis caprolactam, CBC). Three concentrations of PBO, PMDA and CBC chain extenders (0.2, 0.5 and 1 wt%) were added during three stages (S): monomer dehydration (80 °C, S1), oligomer polycondensation (130 °C, S2) and melt polycondensation (160 °C, S3). FTIR, Raman and 1H-NMR spectroscopies revealed the presence of signals produced by interactions between OH and C=O end groups of PLA and reactive functional groups of chain extenders. It was found that the interaction with the PMDA chain extender decreased the PLA crystallinity. Furthermore, data from thermal analysis revealed that the interaction between PLA and chain extenders increased the chain mobility, which represented a decrease in its Tg. Enhanced mechanical properties, hardness, elastic modulus and indentation creep were observed with the addition of chain extenders, improving the performance with the addition of 1 wt% of PBO at S3, 1 wt% of PMDA at either S2 or S3 and 0.25 wt% of CBC at either S2 or S3. Additionally to the synthesis, the degradation was mainly influenced by the interaction more than by any specific stage of chain extender addition. Finally, the thermal and structural characterizations revealed that the PLA-PBO, PLA-PMDA and PLA-CBC systems were more resistant than PLA to UV light and humidity during the accelerated weathering test.

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Acknowledgements

C. A. Ramírez-Herrera is grateful to CONACYT for her graduate fellowship. The authors acknowledge COFAA and SNI-CONACYT. CNMN-IPN and ESIQIE-IPN are recognized for the technical and experimental support provided in the realization of this research. Thanks to M. E. Adela E. Rodríguez-Salazar for her technical support during the revision of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by Instituto Politécnico Nacional through the SIP2013-0773, SIP2018-0496 and SIP2018-1171 Projects. The authors are also grateful for the financial support provided by the CONACYT Research Fellowship-IPN-CICATA Altamira agreement, 2014-1905 and CONACyT CB2015-252181 Projects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Politécnico Nacional CICATA-Altamira, km. 14.5 Carretera Tampico-Puerto Industrial Altamira, C.P. 89600, Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    C. A. Ramírez-Herrera, A. M. Torres-Huerta, M. A. Domínguez-Crespo & D. Palma-Ramírez

  2. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia, Av. Acueducto s/n, la Laguna Ticomán, C.P. 07340, Mexico City, Mexico

    C. A. Ramírez-Herrera & A. I. Flores-Vela

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  1. C. A. Ramírez-Herrera
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  2. A. I. Flores-Vela
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  3. A. M. Torres-Huerta
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  4. M. A. Domínguez-Crespo
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Correspondence to A. M. Torres-Huerta.

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Ramírez-Herrera, C.A., Flores-Vela, A.I., Torres-Huerta, A.M. et al. PLA degradation pathway obtained from direct polycondensation of 2-hydroxypropanoic acid using different chain extenders. J Mater Sci 53, 10846–10871 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2380-7

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