pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S04 - Injection molding
Poster Presentation
 
 

Enhanced heat resistance and mechanical properties of stereocomplex-type polylactide by constructing double melting peaks in the nascent powder

Liu Zhenwei (1), Deng Shihao (1), Bai Hongwei (1)*, Zhang Qin (1), Fu Qiang (1)

(1) Sichuan university - Sichuan province - China

Stereocomplex (SC) crystallization between enantiotropic poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) is highly efficient to improve the properties of polylactide (PLA). However, because of the much higher melting temperature (Tm) of SC crystallites as compared with homogeneous (HC) crystallites of PLLA or PDLA, temperatures over 240 is usually needed to obtain SC-type PLA (SC-PLA) products via conventional processing method, which usually results in the serious thermal degradation of PLA molecular chains and the insufficient melt stability of SC crystallites. In this research, two kinds of SC-PLA powders, one with a higher SC crystallite Tm (SC-hPLA) and another with a lower SC crystallite Tm (SC-lPLA), were obtained by blending PDLA with two PLLAs of different optical purities, respectively. SC-PLA products were achieved by injection molding the mixture (SC-hPLA/SC-lPLA) of the two powders at a temperature between its two Tms, where the SC-lPLA component was expected to improve the flowability of the powders, and the SC-hPLA component was expected to provide the mechanical properties and heat resistance for the injection molded samples. It was found that when the content of SC-lPLA was 20 wt%, the shear viscosity at the shear rate of 1000 Hz was 820 Pa.s, and complete injection molded samples with a tensile strength of 74.3 MPa and a Vicat softening temperature (VST) of 211.6 oC were successfully obtained. With the increase of SC-lPLA content to 40 wt%, the shear viscosity decreased to 253 Pa.s, which made it easier to get the injection molded samples. In addition, the tensile strength and VST decreased slightly to 69.3 MPa and 202.6 oC, respectively, but still much higher than those of SC-lPLA sample, which had a tensile strength of 62.4 MPa and a VST of 164.1 oC.