Biodegradable Oph-POSS/Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanocomposites: Morphology, Thermal Stability and Degradation Property
The purpose of this work was to produce nanocomposites of polylactic acid with oph-POSS (octaphenyl-Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes)-based biodegradable polyester and study morphology, thermal stability and degradation property. Oph-POSS was synthesized via limited-hydrolytic condensation of phenyl trimethoxysilane catalyzed by tetramethylammonium hydroxide. By adding different mass fractions of oph-POSS into the PLA matrix, oph-POSS/PLA nanocomposites were successfully prepared by the solution casting method using chloroform as solvent. SEM(scanning electron microscopy) observations indicated that oph-POSS were homogeneously dispersed in the PLA matrix. The biodegradation rate of oph-POSS/PLA composites was higher than that of neat PLA, moreover, the degradations of neat PLA and oph-POSS/PLA composites underwent the surface erosion mechanism. It was found that the existence of oph-POSS enhanced thermal stability slightly of nanocomposites relative to neat PLA; however, the thermal degradation mechanism of PLA remained unchanged.