Polylactide morphology development

Several PPE-containing AB and ABA block copolymers have been made and investigated for their phase behavior, optical properties, and self-assembly [60-62]. Such AB block copolymers give well-developed morphologies, fibrous self-assembled nano tubes (Figure 6.1). Surprisingly, these materials do not form the interpenetrated networks observed by Hillmyer for polylactide/polystyrene (PS) blocks [63]. 

Bhardwaj and Mohanty [8] proposed and demonstrated a new industrially relevant methodology to develop a polylactide (PLA)-based nano blend having outstanding stiffness-toughness balance. In this approach, a hydroxyl functional hyper branched polymer (HBP) was in situ cross-linked with a polyanhydride (PA) in the PLA matrix during melt processing. There was formation of new HBP-based cross-linked particles in the PLA matrix. TEM and AFM revealed the sea-island morphology of... 

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