화학공학소재연구정보센터
Macromolecules, Vol.50, No.17, 6404-6414, 2017
Solid-State NMR Study of the Chain Trajectory and Crystallization Mechanism of Poly(L-lactic acid) in Dilute Solution
The nucleation and growth mechanisms of semicrystalline polymers are a controversial topic in polymer science. In this work, we investigate the chain-folding pattern, packing structure, and crystal habits of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) with a relatively low molecular weight, < M-W > = 46K g/mol, and PDI = 1.4 in single crystals formed from dilute amyl acetate (AA) solution (0.05 or 0.005 wt %) at a crystallization temperature (T-c) of 90, 50, or similar to 0 degrees C. The crystal habits drastically changed from a facet lozenge shape at T-c = 90 degrees C to dendrites at similar to 0 degrees C, whereas the chains adopt a thermodynamically stable alpha packing structure at both 90 and 0 degrees C. Comparing the experimental and simulated C-13-C-13 double quantum (DQ) buildup curves of C-13-labeled PLLA chains in crystals blended with nonlabeled chains at a mixing ratio of 1:9 indicates that the PLLA chains fold adjacently in multiple rows when the T-c ranges from 90 to similar to 0 degrees C. The results at different length scales suggest that (i) a majority of the chains self-fold in dilute solution and form baby nuclei (intramolecular nucleation) and (ii) the intermolecular aggregation process (secondary nucleation), which is dominated by kinetics, results in morphological differences.