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Effects of molecular weight on the crystallization and melting behaviors of poly(L-lactide)

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Abstract

In this study, a series of monodispersed poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization with Schiff base aluminum catalyst, and the effects of the number-average molecular weight (M n) on the crystallization and melting behaviors of PLLA were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The total crystallization rate of PLLA was M n-dependent, which reached the maximum value for PLLA with M n of 18.6 kg/mol. In addition, when Mn of PLLA was 18.6 kg/mol, the melting enthalpy (ΔH m) showed a maximum value (87.1 J/g), which was the highest reported value till now. The critical temperature for change of crystal formation from δ- to α-form crystals increased in the isothermal crystallization process with M n increasing. In the reheating procedure, high-M n PLLA demonstrated a small exothermal peak prior to the dominant melting peak, corresponding to crystal transition from δ- to α-form, but low-M n PLLA didn’t show the peak of crystal transition. These different crystallization and melting behaviors were attributed to the different chain mobility of PLLA with different M n.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China

    Sheng Xiang, Gao Li  (李杲), Xin-chao Bian  (边新超), Li-dong Feng, Xue-si Chen & Shao-yong Huang

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China

    Shao Jun

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Sheng Xiang

  4. College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China

    Feng-qi Liu

Authors
  1. Sheng Xiang
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  2. Shao Jun
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  3. Gao Li  (李杲)
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  4. Xin-chao Bian  (边新超)
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  5. Li-dong Feng
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  6. Xue-si Chen
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  7. Feng-qi Liu
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  8. Shao-yong Huang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gao Li  (李杲) or Xin-chao Bian  (边新超).

Additional information

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51303176, 51373169, 51033003, 51473166 and 51403089) and Innovative Research Group (No. 51321062), and The National High-tech R&D Program of China (863 program) (No. 2011AA02A202).

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Xiang, S., Jun, S., Li, G. et al. Effects of molecular weight on the crystallization and melting behaviors of poly(L-lactide). Chin J Polym Sci 34, 69–76 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-016-1727-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-016-1727-2

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