Gas solubility of carbon dioxide in poly(lactic acid) at high pressures

The sorption of carbon dioxide in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was studied by quartz crystal microbalance at high pressures. To address the effect of the D isomer present in the polymer on the gas sorption, measurements were performed in PLA with two different L:D contents, 80:20 and 98:2. New data for the solubility of carbon dioxide in PLA 80:20 and PLA 98:2 over a temperature range from 303.2 to 323.2 K and up to 5 MPa are presented. The results obtained were correlated with the dual-mode sorption model and the Flory-Huggins equation. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.