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Enzymatic Degradation of Poly(l-Lactic Acid): Effects of UV Irradiation

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Abstract

Amorphous and crystallized poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA-A and PLLA-C, respectively) films were prepared, and the proteinase K-catalyzed enzymatic degradation of UV-irradiated and non-irradiated PLLA-A and PLLA-C films was investigated for periods up to 10 h (PLLA-A) and 60 h (PLLA-C). The molecular weights of both the PLLA-A and PLLA-C films can be manipulated by altering the UV irradiation time. The enzymatic weight loss values of the UV-irradiated PLLA films were higher than or similar to those of the non-irradiated PLLA film, when compared with the specimens of same crystallinities. UV irradiation is expected to cause the PLLA films to undergo chain cleavage (a decrease in molecular weight) and the formation of C=C double bonds. It seems that the acceleration effects from decreased molecular weight on enzymatic degradation were higher than or balanced with the disturbance effects caused by the formation of C=C double bonds. After enzymatic degradation, a fibrous structure appeared on the spherulites of the UV-irradiated PLLA-C film. This structure may have arisen from chains containing or neighboring on the C=C double bonds, which were enzymatically undegraded and assembled on the film surface during enzymatic degradation. The results of this study strongly suggest that UV irradiation will significantly affect the biodegradation behavior of PLLA materials in the environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ms. Mikiko Fujita, Textile Research Center, Aichi Industrial Technology Institute (AITEC) for the irradiation experiments. This research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Area, “Sustainable Biodegradable Plastics”, No. 11217209, and The 21st Century Centers of Excellence (COE) Program, “Ecological Engineering for Homeostatic Human Activities”, from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Ecological Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan

    Hideto Tsuji & Yoshihisa Echizen

  2. Mikawa Textile Research Center, Aichi Industrial Technology Institute (AITEC), Aichi Prefectural Government, Otsuka-cho, Gamagori, Aichi, 443-0013, Japan

    Yoshiro Nishimura

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  1. Hideto Tsuji
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  2. Yoshihisa Echizen
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  3. Yoshiro Nishimura
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Correspondence to Hideto Tsuji.

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Tsuji, H., Echizen, Y. & Nishimura, Y. Enzymatic Degradation of Poly(l-Lactic Acid): Effects of UV Irradiation. J Polym Environ 14, 239–248 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-006-0023-6

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