STUDY ON THE DEGRADATION OF CELLULOSE NANOWHISKERS/POLY(LACTIC ACID) COMPOSITES

The composites obtained by solvent casting methods from N, N-Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and tensile testing machine. The degradation processes of cellulose whiskers/PLA, cellulose whiskers/PLA/PEG composites and pure PLA were investigated in vitro. The results show that cellulose whiskers/PLA/PEG composites have higher mechanical strength and faster degradation rate than pure PLA. The pH values of the SBF drop nearly the same as the PLA. The degradation speed can be controlled by the addition fraction of the PEG and the cellulose whiskers. Due to the good biodegradability of the PLA, cellulose whiskers and PEG, the composites can be used as anti-adhesive absorbable membrane, absorbent stanching dressing, hemostatic gauze, orthopedic surgery and scaffolds for tissue engineering, and so on.