Performance of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as Polymerization Initiating Systems in the Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Poly(d,l‐Lactide)/ZnO Nanocomposites

Abstract

Poly(D,L‐lactide) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer widely used in medical applications, whose properties can be diversified by the incorporation of multifunctional nanoparticles. In this report, the microwave‐assisted ring‐opening polymerization of D,L‐lactide in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles was conducted to produce ZnO‐graft‐PLA nanocomposites. A comparative kinetic study of polymerization processes in mono‐modal and multi‐modal microwave reactors was addressed. Thanks to spectroscopic, thermal, and microscopic characterizations, the simultaneous formation of free PLA chains and grafted ones on ZnO nanoparticle surface was demonstrated, and the resulting products were carefully analyzed.

Nanometals incorporation into active and biodegradable chitosan films

“…and the increasing signal of –COO – at 1600 and 1400 cm −1 , but also by the characteristic pattern of zinc lactate in the range 1300–1000 cm −1 , marked with arrows in Fig. 1 [ 48 ]. Formation of higher amounts of zinc lactate induced by ZnO nanoparticles in lactic acid solutions have already been described [ 48 ].…”

“…1 [ 48 ]. Formation of higher amounts of zinc lactate induced by ZnO nanoparticles in lactic acid solutions have already been described [ 48 ]. Local precipitation of water-soluble zinc lactate in the structure of CH LZn0.5 film may also explain the stepwise increase in swelling and solubility of the film, as well as the apparent decrease of the film compactness, represented by the reversal of the trends of tensile strength and elasticity (compared to other films containing ZnO NPs).…”

Long-term Photo-degradation of Nanofibrous Composites Based on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Electrospun Fibers Loaded with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

“…3) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) from Sigma-Aldrich were used as solute and solvent, respectively, of precursory solutions which eventually were subjected to the electrospinning-based techniques for generation of the fibrous materials. ZnO nanoparticles (12 nm in diameter and distribution ranging from 8 to 20 nm) were obtained by microwave-assisted synthesis as previously reported [26][27][28]. and the simultaneous electrospraying of a ZnO nanoparticles dispersion in MeOH (1-5 wt-% respect to PHB and dispersed by ultrasound bath for 1.5 h).…”

Ionic liquid-assisted the preparation of transparent cellulosic biocomposite films

“…Facile syntheses of multifunctional materials in one step are gaining importance in this context. Thus, Kaur et al ( 2014) [277] and Rodriguez-Tobias et al (2017) [278] successfully prepared PLA/ZnO nanocomposites by ROP of L-lactide monomer in the presence of ZnONPs, ZnO itself acting as the catalyst. The preparation procedure is environmentally benign [277,278].…”

“…Thus, Kaur et al ( 2014) [277] and Rodriguez-Tobias et al (2017) [278] successfully prepared PLA/ZnO nanocomposites by ROP of L-lactide monomer in the presence of ZnONPs, ZnO itself acting as the catalyst. The preparation procedure is environmentally benign [277,278]. One major drawback of ZnONPs is their tendency to agglomerate and aggregate, which reduces the efficiency of the resulting nanomaterials.…”