title: Annealing and melting behavior of poly(l-lactic acid) single crystals as revealed by in situ atomic force microscopy.
abstract: In situ annealing and melting of folded-chain single crystals of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) was examined by temperature-controlled atomic force microscopy (AFM). Prominent changes in the crystal appearance during annealing could be followed in real time by the AFM at temperatures above the original crystallization temperature. Thickening of the crystal edges could be occasionally observed, and this indicates that the crystal edges are less perfect than the central, well-ordered regions. At higher annealing temperatures, melting of the unthickened part started. The melting of the unthickened region progressed from the boundaries of the thickened portion normal to the growth face, rather than to the folding surfaces. In addition, it is suggested that melting also initiates at defective or distorted sites in the crystal as revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and AFM.
authors.affiliation: Polymer Chemistry Laboratory, RIKEN Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. mfujita@postman.riken.go.jp
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Doi
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D044367:Phase Transition; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide)