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Poly(lactic acid)/poly(ethylene glycol) green nanocomposites assisted by sorbitol-derivative nanofibrillar scaffolds with improved crystallization rates and mechanical properties

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Abstract

Environmentally friendly poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymer blends have been used for commercial applications, primarily for food packaging applications. However, the mechanical strength of PLA decreases with the addition of PEG. In this study, a natural sugar derivative, 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-D-sorbitol (DBS), was added to PLA/PEG blends. DBS is a well-known and inexpensive gelator of organic solvents. The results showed that DBS, when added to PLA/PEG, self-organized into nanofibrils with diameters of 30–50 nm. The DBS nanofillers acted as both reinforcements and nucleating agents in PLA/PEG. The reinforcement improved the mechanical strength of the nanocomposites, and the nucleation agent (together with PEG acting as a plasticizer) synergistically improved the overall crystallization rate of PLA. For instance, the crystallization rate of a PLA/PEG nanocomposites (mass ratio of 30/70) with 3 mass% DBS was nine times higher than that of pristine PLA. Because PLA, PEG, and DBS are eco-friendly materials, they can be promising candidates for biomedical and packaging applications.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Tamkang University, No.151, Yingzhuan Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City, 25137, Taiwan

    Wei-Chi Lai & Li-Jie Liu

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LJL contributed to methodology, experimental investigation, data curation and formal analysis. WCL contributed to conceptualization, resources, write, review and editing.

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Correspondence to Wei-Chi Lai.

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Lai, WC., Liu, LJ. Poly(lactic acid)/poly(ethylene glycol) green nanocomposites assisted by sorbitol-derivative nanofibrillar scaffolds with improved crystallization rates and mechanical properties. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 13337–13348 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12636-w

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