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Assessing the time dependence of AOPs on the surface properties of Polylactic Acid
Summary
This study assessed how advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) alter the surface properties of polylactic acid (PLA) over time, examining changes relevant to enzymatic or bacterial degradation. It found that surface treatment is necessary to enable biodegradation of this polymer in environmental conditions.
Abstract Plastics are artificial synthetic organic polymers that have been used in every area of daily life. However, because of their slow degradation rate their use is contentious. The treatment of the surface of the sample is considered necessary as enzymatic or bacterial attach is not possible if the plastic surface environment is not ideal. The main topic of this work is the pre-treatment of samples of Polylactic acid (PLA) using different Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) in order to modify their surface in such a way as to foster the adhesion of enzymes or bacteria for further biodegradation. The Advanced Oxidation Processes that have been used are Ultrasonication, UV photodegradation and Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma. After the treatments, the surfaces were characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), Drop Contact Angle (DCA), Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Both Ultrasonication and UV have a significant impact on surface characteristics by removing the oxygen content of the polymer, although in distinct ways, whereas plasma uncovers the oxygen groups at the surface.