Conformational development of polylactide films induced by uniaxial drawing

Abstract

Uniaxially drawn polylactide (PLA) films were prepared using various draw ratios (2, 3, 4 and 4.5) at a constant draw rate and temperature. It was confirmed that the conformational structure of the PLA films prepared using the uniaxial drawing process was composed of the alpha'-phase form. The conformational structure deformation of alpha'-phase PLA films, according to the various draw ratios used, was investigated in terms of strain-induced crystalline behavior and molecular orientation analysis. It is of utmost importance to confirm the alpha'-phase structural deformation caused by the uniaxial drawing process because it directly relates to the characteristics of PLA films. The conformational structure deformations of the alpha'-phase, created by uniaxial drawing, led to improved mechanical properties, as evident from mechanical testing and dynamic mechanical analyses results. (C) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry