Abstract
Poly(L-lactic acid)-silica composites were prepared using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a crosslinking agent through the sol-gel technique in this paper. The structure, water absorption, thermal stability and optical properties of the resulting composites were characterized. The effects of reaction parameters (amount of crosslinking agent, amount of stannous octanoate, pH, and the reaction temperature) on the water absorption of composites were investigated. Based on our experiment results, the optimal reaction conditions were obtained. Compared to unfilled poly(L-lactic acid), the water absorption and the thermal stability of poly(L-lactic acid)-silica composites improved greatly. In addition, the resulting composites exhibited excellent optical transmittance in the visible light range, which was comparable to that of unfilled poly(L-lactic acid).