Hydrolytic Degradation of Polylactide in Distilled Water and Seawater

Abstract In the work, the effect of 120-day exposure to distilled water and seawater at 23°C on the structure and properties of polylactide was studied. It was found that the melting and glass transition temperature of polylactide decreased by 2°C in distilled water, while the crystallinity degree increased by 9 and 5% in distilled water and in seawater, respectively. Atomic force microscopy revealed pores defects with a diameter of 150–200 and 170–230 μm after exposure to seawater and distilled water, respectively. Elongation and tensile strength at break were significantly reduced during the hydrolytic degradation of polylactide.