Research Information System
VI͘. International Joint Science Congres of Materials and Polymers, Durres, Albania, 14 - 17 September 2022, pp.36-39
The increasing interest in biopolymers has progressively increased the interest in the development and
utilization of more environmentally friendly polymeric materials. Consequently, applications of biopolymers,
especially Poly (Lactic acid) (PLA) have increased in recent years. The crystallinity of the polymer matrices is
one of the most important parameters that could be able to affect some properties such as degradation and
mechanical performance. PLA is one of the most promising bio-based, compostable polymers able to be an
alternative to petro-derived polymers both in single-use applications and also for durable equipment with
sufficient technical properties. Hydrolytic biodegradation describes usage areas for this kind of polymers.
Manipulating this hydrolytic degradation process also affects the usage potential of polymeric materials.
Crystallinity is one of the parameters that affect the degradation process on polymer matrices. In order to
control the crystallinity and biodegradation of the PLA matrix, the natural product Phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA)
was inserted into the polymeric matrices at different percentages. An increase in the crystallinity was observed
depending on the PEA percentage. The biodegradation was also affected thanks to the PEA insertion into the
matrix. Consequently, the insertion of PEA into the PLA matrices resulted to increase in crystallinity and
biodegradation.