Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer that has gained attention for its potential uses in mechanical engineering (3-D printing), as well as in the biomedical field. PLA has been described as an aliphatic polyester and can be synthesized on an industrial scale via fermentation and polymerization using agricultural materials, such as cornstarch. Polymerization processes include ring opening polymerization (ROP), pre-polymer chain coupling, and azeotropic dehydrative condensation. Because methods such as ROP have toxic components and byproducts, this project was mainly focused on polymerization via azeotropic dehydrative condensation. This project was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Amber McClung from the Department of Engineering at St. Mary's University. Our research was focused in synthesizing PLA while controlling the temperature of the reaction. This was done in two ways, one by varying the addition of catalyst and solvent, while keeping the reactiontime and temperature constant. The other by incorporating graphene (a semimetal of flat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and lignin (a complex organic polymer found in plants) into the PLA to determine if their changes would cause any changes in viscosity or in the structural integrity of the polymer.

Investigating optimal reaction conditions for the synthesis of Polylactic Acid (PLA)

2019 Spring National Meeting

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