Degradation Behavior of Poly(Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Monolayers Investigated by Langmuir Technique: Accelerating Effect

Abstract

Among biodegradable polymers, polylactides (PLAs) have attracted considerable interest because the monomer can be produced from renewable resources. Since their initial degradability strongly affects commercial application fields, it is necessary to manage the degradation properties of PLAs to make them more commercially attractive. To control their degradability, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) copolymers of glycolide and isomer lactides (LAs) were synthesized, and their enzymatic and alkaline degradation rates of PLGA monolayers as functions of glycolide acid (GA) composition were systematically investigated by the Langmuir technique. The results showed that the alkaline and enzymatic degradations of PLGA monolayers were faster than those of l-polylactide (l-PLA), even though proteinase K is selectively effective in the l-lactide (l-LA) unit. Alkaline hydrolysis was strongly affected by their hydrophilicity, while the surface pressure of monolayers for enzymatic degradations was a major factor.

Tailoring Pectin-PLA Bilayer Film for Optimal Properties as a Food Pouch Material

“…In contrast, PLA exhibited a minimal degradation rate of 1.89–6.82% over two weeks, primarily due to its polymer composition. PLA is expected to undergo complete biodegradation within approximately ten months through ester bond hydrolysis in the polymer backbone, influenced by factors such as temperature, pH, enzymes, and moisture [ 83 ]. In Table S4 , the optimized bilayer film showed a loss of its yellow color, linked to the inclusion of the pectin layer, with over half of it degrading into the soil.…”

Synthesis of L-Ornithine- and L-Glutamine-Linked PLGAs as Biodegradable Polymers

“…Studies on the regulation of degradation time that consider molecular weight, polydispersity (Ð), crystallinity, tacticity, pH, biological conditions, hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups, and stereo sequence in newgeneration polymers have been remarkable for PLGA [19]. A useful approach for the design of new biodegradable polymers was reported to support alkaline hydrolysis in both crystalline and amorphous regions of polyesters, while enzymatic degradation was observed in amorphous regions [20]. Since PLGA contains only ester bonds, the soft segment undergoes degradation and the hard segment degrades much more easily than that of polymers [21].…”