writer：Jia Li, Yuankun Wang, Zhifeng Wang, Defeng Wu
keywords：chitin nanocrystals; surface acetylation; polylactide (PLA); melting point depression.
source：期刊
specific source：Carbohydrate Polymers
Issue time：2021年

Carbohydrate Polymers, 2021, 273C, 118594

Chitin nanocrystal (ChNC) was used to prepare fully biodegradable nanocomposites with polylactide (PLA). The nucleation and melting behavior of nanocomposites were studied with the objective to correlate PLA-ChNC affinity to PLA crystallization. The results disclose that the PLA nanocomposites with pristine ChNCs and the ones with acetylated ChNCs show completely different nucleation and melting behavior because the role of ChNCs is altered after acetylation. Pristine ChNC acts as inert filler, with weak nucleating activity, while acetylated ChNCs as anti-nucleation agent, restraining crystallization of PLA. Accordingly, the nanocomposites with acetylated ChNCs show melting point depression, with reduced nucleation capability. The recrystallization and self-nucleation, as well as the double-melting behaviors were then studied in terms of acetylation levels of ChNCs and annealing temperatures, in order to better understand the relations between two-phase affinity and PLA chain dynamics. This work provides interesting information around designing thermal properties of the ChNC-filled PLA nanocomposites.

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0144861721009814