RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF POLY(BUTYL ACRYLATE) IN THE PRESENCE OF POLY(L-LACTIC ACID) .1. SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND PROPERTIES OF BLENDS

Poly(L-lactic acid) is a biocompatible polyester, semicrystalline, the rmoplastic, with low versatility in mechanical properties. To overcome this problem, a reactive blending procedure was performed by grafting an acrylic rubber, n-butyl acrylate, via water suspension polymerizat ion onto poly(l-lactic acid) dissolved in an organic solvent. It was p ossible to isolate the copolymeric phase formed from the two polymers and characterize it by using NMR and DSC techniques. Mechanical tests on blends gave no satisfactory response, probably because the rubbery phase is composed essentially of viscous linear macromolecules, not ab le to perform elastic properties. Work is in progress to modify the sy nthetic pathway to incorporate diacrylates in order to realize a rubbe ry phase at least partially cross-linked.