The Extent of Degradation of Polylactide Characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Open Access
Author:
Viggiano, Rocco Peter
Area of Honors:
Plastics Engineering Technology (Behrend)
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
John Philip Beaumont, Thesis Supervisor John Philip Beaumont, Thesis Supervisor Paul Edward Koch Jr., Faculty Reader John Philip Beaumont, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
polylactide PLA biodegradable nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy NMR degradation
Abstract:
The effects of temperature, shear rate and residence time on the degradation of biodegradable polylactide (PLA) were studied using an injection molding machine. The extent of the degradation was characterized by analyzing the optical properties and the change in chemical structure of the processed material. A spectrophotometer was used to quantify the changes in color due to degradation and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was performed on the degraded PLA to determine its chemical structure. Additionally, the tensile modulus of the degraded material was determined using a tensile measurement instrument. The effects of degradation on color were correlated to the chemical structure and the tensile modulus.
