Hydrolytic degradation of poly(L-lactic acid): Combined effects of UV treatment and crystallization

Amorphous and crystallized poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) films were prepared and the hydrolytic degradation of the ultraviolet (UV)-treated and UV-nontreated films was investigated. This study reveals that the combination of UV and thermal treatments can produce the PLLA materials having different hydrolytic degradation profiles and that the UV-irradiation in the environment will affect the design of recycling process for PLLA articles. In an early stage, the degrees of hydrolytic degradation monitored by weight loss (Wloss), number-average molecular weight (M n), and melting temperature (T m) were higher for the UV-treated films than for the UV-nontreated films. In a late stage, the trend traced by Wloss was reversed, and the difference in the degrees of hydrolytic degradation between the UV-treated and UV-nontreated films monitored by M n and T m became smaller, with the exception of the degrees of hydrolytic degradation of the amorphous films traced by T m. Also, in the early stage, the degrees of hydrolytic degradation monitored by Wloss and M n were higher for the crystallized films than for the amorphous films. In the late stage, this trend was reversed, with the exception of the degrees of hydrolytic degradation of the UV-treated films monitored by M n. The main factors that determined the Wloss and T m were the molecular weight and initial crystallinty but not the molecular structures such as terminal C?C double bonds and crosslinks. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012