Synergistic Effects of Polyethylene Glycol and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes on Crystallization Behavior of Poly(L-lactide)

The synergistic effects of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) on the crystallization behavior of semicrystalline poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) were systemically investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). Initially, the influences of PEG and POSS, individually, on PLLA crystallization were studied. The results indicated that PEG, as an efficient plasticizer, enhanced the mobility of the PLLA chains, resulting in decreasing of the glass transition temperature. The enhanced crystallization capacity of PLLA was strongly dependent on the molecular weight and content of the PEG, increasing with decreasing of the molecular weight and increasing of the PEG content. The experimental results also indicated that POSS was a heterogeneous nucleating agent, promoting the crystallization of PLLA. The synergistic effects of PEG and POSS on PLLA crystallization were then analyzed. The results showed that in the presence of PEG and POSS the crystallinity of PLLA was further enhanced due to their synergistic effects.