Epoxidized Ionic Liquids as Processing Auxiliaries of Poly(Lactic Acid) Matrix: Influence on the Manufacture, Structural and Physical Properties

Claudia Merlini; Vanessa Oliveira Castro; Gabriel Perli; Younes El Omari; Sébastien Livi

doi:10.3390/nano13091476

Epoxidized Ionic Liquids as Processing Auxiliaries of Poly(Lactic Acid) Matrix: Influence on the Manufacture, Structural and Physical Properties

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2023 Apr 26;13(9):1476. doi: 10.3390/nano13091476.

Authors

Claudia Merlini^{1

2}, Vanessa Oliveira Castro^{2

3}, Gabriel Perli², Younes El Omari², Sébastien Livi²

Affiliations

¹ Materials Engineering Special Coordination, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Blumenau 89036-002, SC, Brazil.
² Université de Lyon, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, UMR 5223, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, CEDEX F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
³ Mechanical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil.

Abstract

In this study, we set out to modify poly(lactic acid) (PLA) by incorporating epoxidized ionic liquids (ILs) that were specifically designed with imidazolium-NTf₂ moieties. First, we synthesized di-, tri- and tetra-epoxidized ILs, which were incorporated into a PLA matrix at 3, 5, and 10 wt% through a melt extrusion process. We investigated the relationship between the structure and properties of the resulting materials in terms of thermal, mechanical, rheological, and surface properties. The results showed the potential of ILs to impact these properties. Notably, the tri- and tetra-epoxidized ILs enhanced the thermal stability of the PLA matrix as well as the crystallinity while reducing the glass transition temperature and melting point, which is promising for reactive extrusion processing. Overall, this research opens new routes for using reactive ILs to improve the processing and properties of PLA polymers.

Keywords: biodegradable polymers; epoxy monomers; ionic liquids; processing auxiliaries.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES) grant number [Project number 88887.569657/2020-00], Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).