Crystalline structures and crystallization behaviors of poly(l-lactide) in poly(l-lactide)/graphene nanosheet composites

Poly( l -lactide) (PLLA)/graphene nanosheet (GNS) composites and pure PLLA were prepared by the solution blending method. Crystalline structures and crystallization behaviors of PLLA in the composite were investigated by XRD, POM, SAXS, and DSC. It was found that α′ form PLLA formation seemed to be more preferred than α form PLLA formation in PLLA/GNS composites at crystallization temperatures T c s within the α′-α crystal formation transition region due to the existence of GNSs, resulting in an obvious shift of the α′-α crystal formation transition of PLLA in PLLA/GNSs towards high T c s compared with that of pure PLLA. At T c s below α′-α crystal formation transition, the formed α′ crystal turned to be more imperfect due to GNS addition, while at T c s above α′-α crystal formation transition, the crystal structure of α form PLLA was not affected by GNSs. Further POM observations at high T c s with only α crystal formed showed that PLLA spherulites were well formed in both PLLA/GNSs and pure PLLA, however with very different crystallization kinetics while isothermally crystallizing at different T c s. The PLLA crystallization process of PLLA in PLLA/GNSs was accelerated by GNSs with both the nucleation rate and spherulite growth rate increased mainly because of the increasing segmental mobility of PLLA chains due to GNS addition; whereas, GNSs showed no observable influence on the determined zero growth temperature T zg of α form PLLA and the T zg was estimated lower than the equilibrium melting point of PLLA, indicating that the crystal growth of PLLA is mediated by a transient mesophase with the transition temperature of T zg between the mesophase and melt not influenced by GNSs in PLLA. Synchrotron on-line SAXS results revealed that the long periods of PLLA in PLLA/GNS composites isothermally crystallized at different T c s are much smaller than those in pure PLLA. The GNSs are helpful in forming more perfect recrystallized α form PLLA after the α′ form PLLA is melted with increasing T c s. The presence of GNSs resulted in imperfect α form PLLA from melt directly when it is isothermally crystallized at different T c s within the temperature range of α′-α crystal formation transition. GNS existence in PLLA favors α′ crystal formation more than α crystal formation resulting in a shift of α′-α crystal formation transition toward high T c s.