H. Cai et al., EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL AGING, CRYSTALLINITY, AND ORIENTATION ON THE ENZYMATIC DEGRADATION OF POLY(LACTIC ACID), Journal of polymer science. Part B, Polymer physics, 34(16), 1996, pp. 2701-2708
The effects of physical aging, degree of crystallinity, and orientatio
n of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were studied using differential scanning
calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). The samples
of PLA with 96% [L] and 4% [D] contents were prepared by injection mol
ding. The physical aging of PLA strongly depended on time and temperat
ure. The change of rate of physical aging was very fast initially and
slowed down as time increased. The enzymatic degradation of PLA was ca
rried out with proteinase K at 37 degrees C at a pH value of 8.6 in a
Tris/HCl buffer solution. The enzymatic degradation rate was found to
decrease as a function of physical aging (i.e., excess enthalpy relaxa
tion). The rate of enzymatic degradation of PLA decreased with the inc
rease in crystallinity. A threshold was observed when the heat of fusi
on was less than 20 J/g. The weight loss of PLA with a low level of cr
ystallinity had no apparent change during any period of testing time.
The rates of enzymatic degradation of stretched and injection-molded s
pecimens were comparable. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.