RUBBER TOUGHENING OF POLY(LACTIDE) BY BLENDING AND BLOCK COPOLYMERIZATION

Copolymers of L-lactide with 15 or more mole % D-lactide are amorphous, noncrystallizable hydrolytically degradable materials. These glassy materials are brittle in tension and bending. To make these materials suitable for use as load-bearing devices in biomedical applications, toughness has to be enhanced. This is effectively accomplished by introducing a separate degradable rubber phase in the amorphous matrix. Several approaches have been explored: solution blending and coprecipitation of trimethylene carbonate and epsilon-caprolactone rubbers and poly(lactide), preparation of ABA triblock copolymers and blending of ABA block copolymers with the amorphous poly(lactide) matrix. In all cases very tough materials could be prepared. These materials are easily processable by compression molding at relatively low temperatures.