A Novel Approach for Fabricating Poly-L-lactide Materials by One-step Bulk Polymerization

Abstract

Poly-L-lactide (PLLA) is one of the most significant members of a group of bioabsorbable polymers. A new approach for fabricating PLLA material was investigated by one-step bulk polymerization. The focus of this paper was on the effect of reaction temperature and reaction time on the weight-average molar mass, the polydispersity index (PDI), and the flexural strength and modulus. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and mechanical properties measurements were used to characterize the products. It was found that the optimal reaction conditions were at 140 °C for 24 h, under which the highest ${\bar{M}}_w$ (5.02 × 10⁵ Da) and the lowest PDI (1.16) were reached. In addition this material had the highest flexural strength and modulus, 74.58 ± 2.35 MPa and 1.62 ± 0.14 GPa, respectively.