To study the effect of organophilic clay concentration on nonisothermal crystallization, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by mixing various amounts of commercial MMT (Cloisite V R 30B) and PLLA. The effect of MMT content on melting behavior and crystal structure of nonisothermal crystallized PLLA/MMT nanocomposites was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small-angle Xray scattering, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The study was focused on the effect of the filler concentration on thermal and structural properties of the nonisothermally crystallized nanocomposite PLLA/MMT.The results obtained have shown that at filler loadings higher than 3 wt %, intercalation of the clay is observed. At lower clay concentrations (1-3 wt %), exfoliation predominates. DSC and XRD analysis data show that the crystallinity of PLLA/MMT composites increases drastically at high clay loadings (5-9 wt %). In these nanocomposites, PLLA crystallizes nonisothermally in an orthorhombic crystal structure, assigned to the a form of PLLA.

The poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/montmorillonite(MMT) nanocomposites were investigated by wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS). The aim of the investigation was solution intercalation of MMT with PHBV. Beside the usual orthorhombic unit cell, a stable pseudohexagonal β‐structure of PHBV was obtained. Well known β‐structure has one common WAXS reflection (d = 0.480 nm), which corresponds to the mean distance of PHBV chains in the pseudohexagonal structure. The new β‐structure has two diffraction peaks in the WAXS pattern. It is a three‐dimensionally ordered crystalline structure oriented in parallel with the silica layers of MMT. The new polymorphic form is supposed to be growing on the layers of MMT. Its layers serve as primary nucleation centers for epitaxial growth of the β‐structure. After annealing, this polymorphic form of PHBV disappears and it is transformed into the more stable α‐form leading to an enhanced total crystallinity of the polymer comprised in the nanocomposite. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 751–755, 2009

In this contribution, we report the development of original nanocomposite cryogels for sustained topical delivery of hydrophobic natural active substances such as cannabidiol (CBD). The cryogels were fabricated by a method involving cryogenic treatment and photo-crosslinking of aqueous systems containing biodegradable 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and CBD-loaded polymeric micelles. The preparation of the water-soluble form of CBD was a key element for the successful drug loading in the one-pot reaction. The main physical, mechanical and biological characteristics of CBD-loaded and blank cryogels such as gel fraction yield, swelling degree, morphology, storage and loss moduli, and cytotoxicity were studied in detail. The advantage of nanocomposite over pure HEC cryogel carriers in terms of achieving a sustained release profile was also demonstrated.