K. Zawada, A. Plichta, D. Jańczewski
May 26, 2017
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0
Influential Citations
21
Citations
Journal
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Abstract
A library of 13 esters and methylated esters, including entirely new molecules, derived from renewable natural tartaric acid, have been synthesized, characterized, and used as plasticizers of polylactide (PLA). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies of the blends consisting of PLA and tartaric acid derivatives reveal that all esters obtained exhibit plasticizing properties; however, their miscibility with PLA and ability to modify the thermal transition is dependent significantly on the structure of the ester group. It was found that esters bearing short alkyl groups (methyl, ethyl, n-butyl) may act as primary plasticizers that allow blends of elastomeric properties to exist at ambient temperature. The hydrolytic and enzymatic stability of plasticizers has been studied using dimethyl and diethyl tartrate, and both materials can be classified as biodegradable.