Impact of silicone-based block copolymer surfactants on the surface and bulk microscopic organization of a biodegradable polymer, poly(epsilon-caprolactone).
Two amphiphilic AB block copolymers, containing a highly compatible poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) block connected to a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) block having a low surface energy, are synthesized and characterized in terms of their dispersion in a presynthesized PCL matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and optical microscopy are used to describe the evolution of the surface chemical composition, as well as the surface and bulk morphology of the PCL/copolymer blends as a function of the nature and weight surface free energy and the dispersion of the copolymers in the blends, leading to important modifications of the bulk and the surface morphology. These differences are interpreted in terms of the impact of the block copolymers on the semicrystalline polymer structure and related properties in the prospect of using the surfactants to improve the synthesis of PCL in supercritical CO(2).
Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux, Centre de Recherche en Sciences des Matériaux Polymères, Université de Mons-Hainaut, 20 Place du Parc, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
Pascal
P
Viville
Roberto
R
Lazzaroni
Philippe
P
Dubois
Anton
A
Kotzev
Yves
Y
Geerts
Gabriela
G
Borcia
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Pireaux
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D017655:Silicon Compounds; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C016240:polycaprolactone