Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is a biodegradable polymer, which is produced from renewal resources. However, its low hydrolysis rate limits the applications. In this study, PLLA/poly(aspartic acid-co-L-lactide) (PAL) and PLLA/poly(malic acid-co-L-lactide) (PML) blend films were prepared and immersed in a phosphate buffer solution (pH=7.4) at 40 oC to investigate effects of PAL and PML on the hydrolysis rate of PLLA. The degradation behaviors were examined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).  shows a change in remaining mass of PLLA and PLLA blend films immersed in a phosphate buffer solution, which demonstrated that PAL and PML accelerate the hydrolytic degradation of PLLA.  presents the hydrolysis rate constants (k) for PLLA/PAL and PLLA/PML calculated from the number-average molecular weight of PLLA in the early stage of the hydrolysis process. They indicated that PML is a more effective accelerator for the hydrolysis of PLLA compared to PAL.

Poly(aspartic acid-co-L-lactide) (PAL) and poly(malic acid-co-L-lactide) (PML) as accelerators for hydrolytic degradation of poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA)

248th National Meeting (2014)

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