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Influence of graphene on thermal degradation and crystallization kinetics behaviour of poly(lactic acid)

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Abstract

In present study, the effect of graphene (GR) on crystallization and thermal degradation kinetic behavior of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was investigated. The non isothermal cold crystallization kinetic study for PLA-GR nanocomposites was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry at different heating rates of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 °C/min. The obtained kinetic data were analyzed using crystallization kinetic models such as Avrami and Tobin methods. The decreasing trend obtained in the Avrami as well as Tobin exponent (n and n T, respectively) with respect to neat PLA revealed the nucleating effect of graphene. Thermal degradation behavior of both PLA and PLA-GR nanocomposites was also analyzed by Kissinger method. The increasing trend in the activation energy with respect to GR loading was observed as compared to neat PLA. This is an indication of improvement in the thermal stability of PLA with an increase in the GR loading. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) was used to observe the growth of spherulites in the PLA and PLA-GR nanocomposites. With respect to addition of GR in the PLA matrix, reduction in the nucleation induction time and an increment in the number of nucleation sites were reflected in the POM analysis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India funded Center of Excellence for Sustainable Polymers at IIT Guwahati for research facilities to perform this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Ravibabu Valapa, G. Pugazhenthi & Vimal Katiyar

  2. Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Sameer Hussain & Parmeswar Krishnan Iyer

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  1. Ravibabu Valapa
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  2. Sameer Hussain
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  4. G. Pugazhenthi
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  5. Vimal Katiyar
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Correspondence to G. Pugazhenthi or Vimal Katiyar.

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Valapa, R., Hussain, S., Iyer, P.K. et al. Influence of graphene on thermal degradation and crystallization kinetics behaviour of poly(lactic acid). J Polym Res 22, 175 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-015-0823-2

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