New Nanocomposite Materials Dispersed with Poly(Ethylene Glycol): The Effects of Degradation and Mechanical Characteristics

Nanocomposites of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) reinforced with cellulose whiskers highly dispersed with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were prepared for the first time. The composites obtained by solvent casting methods from N, N-Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) were characterized by mechanical testing, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), water absorption and biodegrade in simulated body fluid (SBF). The results showed that, by adding cellulose whiskers and dispersants to the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix, the water absorption and biodegradation of the nanocomposites improved obviously. The tensile strength and the elongation rate of the PLA/cellulose whiskers/PEG composites was improved 20% and 6.7%. FT-IR analysis showed that the compatibility among the PLA, cellulose whiskers and PEG was good. The nanocomposites would be a potential tissue engineering implant in the clinical application, and the cellulose whiskers would be potential reinforcement nanofiller in the medical domain.