Banded spherulites in poly( L ‐lactic acid): Effects of the crystallization temperature and molecular weight
Abstract
The spherulitic morphology of pure poly( L ‐lactide) (PLLA) was investigated with polarized optical microscopy as a function of the crystallization temperature and molecular weight. After being melted at 210°C for 3 min, samples were cooled quickly to designated temperatures for isothermal crystallization. It was shown for the first time that a clear banding‐to‐nonbanding morphological transition took place at a critical temperature for PLLA with a number‐average molecular weight of 86,000. With the increasing molecular weight of the material, the spherulite growth rates decreased notably, and the band spacing decreased significantly. On the basis of the main‐chain chirality in PLLA and the observation of a nonbanded spherulitic morphology in a certain temperature region, it was suggested that the crystallization temperature might have an effect on the relationship between the sense of lamellar twisting and the main‐chain chiral structure in PLLA. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
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No clear banded spherulites were observed for the PLLA homopolymer and PLLA block within the diblock copolymers.
“Noclear banded spherulites were observed in this work for the PLLAhomopolymerandPLLAblockwithinthediblockcopolymers, as reported in the literature for PLLA homopolymers. 80,82”
From Crystallization Kinetics and Morphology of Biodegradable Double Crystalline PLLA- <i>b</i> -PCL Diblock Copolymers (2010) · cites this paper as [82]
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“However, this peculiar texture is not common in crystalline poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) although it has a chiral carbon in the chain skeleton.([3,4]) In contrast, it is readily able to obtain ring-banded spherulites of PLLA from a diblock copolymer rich in PLLA or from a PLLA mixture with other polymers.”
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- Authors
- Wang, Y., & Mano, J. F.
- Affiliations
- University of Minho (PT)
- Corresponding author
- Mano, João F.
- Venue
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-05-30
- Volume
- 105
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 3500-3504
- ISSN
- 0021-8995 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-4628
- OpenAlex
- W2094396781
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Crystallization and Solubility Studies
- Keywords
- poly(L-lactic acid), spherulitic morphology, banded spherulites, crystallization temperature, molecular weight effects, isothermal crystallization, band spacing, spherulite growth rate, main-chain chirality, lamellar twisting, biodegradable polymers
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