On the enthalpy of melting of poly(l-lactide)

Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) is an extensively employed biodegradable semicrystalline polymer with usage from implantable medical devices and drug release matrices to environmentally friendly packaging materials. Since the morphology and crystallinity considerably determine the application field, PLLA samples with a large variation in crystallinity (going from below 20% to over 70%) were prepared by different procedures. Subsequent differences in morphology, crystallinity and thermal properties were followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The value of the enthalpy of melting of a perfectly (100%) crystalline PLLA was determined (ΔH f = 115.7 J/g). © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.