Effects of plasticizers on physical properties of polylactide/hydroxyapatite composites

Abstract

The current study interested in preparation of plasticized composite polylactide particles by using an emulsion-solvent evaporation. Two types of plasticizers were compared: tributyl citrate and poly(1,4-butylene adipate), and hydroxyapatite was used as a filler. The effects of plasticizer concentration at 10-50 phr and hydroxyapatite loading varied in the range of 0-40 wt% were studied. The addition of plasticizers produced small-sized particles, whereas large-sized particles were increased with the presence of hydroxyapatite. The average sizes were obtained within 0.5-3 micron. The plasticized polylactide with tributyl citrate exhibited lower glass transition temperature than that of poly(1,4-butylene adipate). The addition of hydroxyapatite showed only slight effect on glass transition temperature, whereas the thermal property of the plasticized composite films was significantly improved. The degradation temperature at 50% weight loss of plasticized composite films was shifted higher by 5-26oC compared to that of the neat PLA film.