Use of microperlite in direct polymerization of lactic acid

PLA is one of the most frequently used biodegradable polymers. In this work, PLA was synthesized by direct condensation polymerization of lactic acid in the presence of microperlite to obtain enhanced thermal stability of PLA polymer. Molecular weights of the synthesized polymers were determined by GPC. Chemical structure analyses was done by FTIR. The degree of crystallinity was evaluated by DSC and XRD. Thermal stability of polymers was investigated by DSC and TGA. It has been observed that the existence of perlite has significantly increased the crystallinity and degradation temperature, therefore, enhanced the thermal stability of the PLA.