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Bio-based and Biodegradable Electrospun Fibers Composed of Poly(L-lactide) and Polyamide 4

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Abstract

Novel bio-based and biodegradable block copolymers were synthesized by “click” reaction between poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and polyamide 4 (PA4). Upon tuning the molar mass of PLLA block, the properties of copolymers and electrospun ultrafine fibers were investigated and compared with those of PLLA and PA4 blends. PLLA and PA4 were found incompatible and formed individual crystalline regions, along with reciprocal inhibition in crystallization. Electrospun fibers were highly hydrophobic, even if hydrophilic PA4 was the rich component. The crystallinity of either PLLA or PA4 decreased after electrospinning and PLLA-rich as-spun fibers were almost amorphous. Immersion tests proved that fibers of block copolymers were relatively homogeneous with micro-phase separation between PLLA and PA4. The fibrous structures of copolymers were different from those of the fibers electrospun from blends, for which sheath-core structure induced by macro-phase separation between homopolymers of PLLA and PA4 was confirmed by TEM, EDS, and XPS.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2017YFB0309301 and 2017YFB0309302) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, China (No. 17ZR1407200). We are thankful to Dr. Feirong Gong for his help in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Tao Chen, Guo-Cheng Zhong & Yuan-Ting Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Engineering of China, National Light Industry Council, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Tao Chen, Li-Ming Zhao & Yong-Jun Qiu

  3. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Tao Chen, Guo-Cheng Zhong & Yuan-Ting Zhang

  4. School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Li-Ming Zhao & Yong-Jun Qiu

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  1. Tao Chen
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Correspondence to Tao Chen.

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Chen, T., Zhong, GC., Zhang, YT. et al. Bio-based and Biodegradable Electrospun Fibers Composed of Poly(L-lactide) and Polyamide 4. Chin J Polym Sci 38, 53–62 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-019-2299-8

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