Open Access

ARTICLE

Effect of PEG Incorporation on Physicochemical and in vitro Degradation of PLLA/PDLLA Blends: Application in Biodegradable Implants

by Mochamad Chalid^1,*, Gifrandy Gustiraharjo¹, Azizah Intan Pangesty¹, Alyssa Adyandra¹, Yudan Whulanza², Sugeng Supriadi²

1 Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, Depok City, 16424, Indonesia
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, Depok City, 16424, Indonesia

* Corresponding Author: Mochamad Chalid. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advancement of Biopolymers in Biomedical Materials)

Journal of Renewable Materials 2023, 11(7), 3043-3056. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2023.026788

Received 25 September 2022; Accepted 06 February 2023; Issue published 05 June 2023

Abstract

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added at different concentrations to the blend of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D,L-lactic acid)(PDLLA) to tailor the properties. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement showed that all blends were miscible due to shifting a single glass transition temperature into a lower temperature for increasing PEG content. The DSC, FTIR, and XRD results implied the crystallinity enhancement for PEG content until 8 wt%, then decreased at 12 wt% PEG. The XRD result indicated the homo crystalline phase formation in all blends and no stereocomplex crystal. The in vitro degradation study indicated that PEG content is proportional to the degradation rate. The highest weight loss after 28 days was achieved at 12 wt% PEG. The FTIR analysis showed a structural evolution overview during hydrolytic degradation, viz. increasing and decreasing crystallinity during 14 days for the blend without and with PEG, respectively. In conclusion, the PEG addition increased crystallinity and degradation rate of the PLLA/PDLLA mixture, but PEG higher amounts led to a decrease in crystallinity, and the weight loss was intensified. This can be useful for tuning PLA-based biomaterials with the desired physicochemical properties and appropriate degradation rates for applications in drug delivery/ tissue engineering.

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