Vol.9, No3, 2009, pp. 165-169
 UDC 678.7-416.017

EFFECT OF ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION ON THE TENSILE PROPERTIES OF AMORPHOUS POLYLACTIDE FILMS

S. Belbachir 1,2, F. Zaïri, G. Ayoub, M. Naït-Abdelaziz 1

M. Benguediab 2

U. Maschke 3

J.M. Gloaguen, J.M.Lefebvre 4

1) Laboratoire de Mécanique de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

2) Université de Sidi Bel Abbès, Département de Mécanique, 22000 Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria

3) Laboratoire de Chimie Macromoléculaire, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

4) Laboratoire de Structure et Propriétés de l’Etat Solide, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

Abstract

In this work, the impact of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the mechanical behaviour of amorphous biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films is analysed. PLA films were submitted to UV irradiation for increasing exposure time. Two kinds of experiments were conducted, chemical and mechanical. The chemical degradation was measured by gel permeation chromatography technique. The PLA films were mechanically investigated by stretching experiments before and after UV exposure. Their mechanical properties were obtained by a video-controlled system. Our purpose is to establish the relationship between macroscopic mechanical response and molecular parameters such as the molecular weight, and external solicitations such as temperature, strain rate and UV irradiation. The interactions between photodegradation and changes in polymer properties are discussed.

Keywords: polylactide–poly(lactic acid), ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, molecular weight, mechanical properties

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