Crystallization and thermal behaviour of optically pure polylactides and their blends

Lactic acid based polymers of medical grade were crystallized under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions from the melt. Optically pure enantiomeric polylactides, Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and Poly(D-lactide) (PDLA), are found to crystallize as alpha crystalline form. PLLA/PDLA blends were prepared by a melt mixing process and during solidification yielded both lower melting alpha homocrystallites and higher melting stereocomplex crystallites. The effects of isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization conditions on developed polymorphism and degree of crystallinity are evaluated for PLLA/PDLA blends. (C) 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.