Abstract
The applications of biodegradable polylactide (PLA) are dependent on its structural durability under service conditions. In this work, we analyze the temperature dependence of photo-stability of polylactide-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PLA/PMMA) blends after the irradiation of ultraviolet (UV) light. X-ray diffraction analysis of the UV-irradiated PLA reveals the crystalline phase formation at 55 °C, as confirmed by thermal analysis. The UV irradiation decreases the crystallization temperature of PLA. The thermal analysis and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) analysis illustrate the interaction between PLA and PMMA. We evaluate the photo-stability of the UV-irradiated PLA/PMMA blends from the temporal evolution of optical absorbance/transmittance of the blends. A first-order kinetic analysis is used to analyze the change of optical absorbance, controlled by the annihilation and generation of color centers. Two processes contribute to the photo-stability of the PLA/PMMA blends – one is annihilation-dominant for the blends with a large fraction of PMMA, and the other is generation-dominant for the blends with a large fraction of PLA. The combinational effect of UV irradiation and the interaction between PLA and PMMA determines the photo-stability of PLA/PMMA blends.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 125528 |
| Journal | Materials Chemistry and Physics |
| Volume | 277 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:SL is grateful for the financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan . We also thank the Taiwan Instrument Research Institute for providing instruments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords
- Absorbance
- Kinetics
- PLA/PMMA blend
- Photo-stability
- UV irradiation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science (all)
- Condensed Matter Physics