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. 2022 Aug 30;12(1):14724.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17437-z.

Structural evolution of in situ polymerized poly(L-lactic acid) nanocomposite for smart textile application

Doli Hazarika  1 , Amit Kumar  2 , Vimal Katiyar  3
Affiliations

Structural evolution of in situ polymerized poly(L-lactic acid) nanocomposite for smart textile application

Doli Hazarika et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This present study demonstrated the preparation of a highly crystalline anatase (ana) form of titanium oxide (TiO2) doped silk nanocrystal (SNC) nanohybrid (ana-TCS) of diameter (7.5 ± 1.4 nm) by the sol-gel method using titanium (IV) butoxide as the hydrolysis material. This prepared nanohybrid with surface hydroxyl groups acted as a co-initiator for the synthesis of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)-g-ana-TSC nanocomposite with grafted PLLA chains via the in situ polymerization technique, using tin-octoate as a catalyst. The fabricated nanocomposite had a high number average molecular weight of 83 kDa with good processibility. This prepared nanocomposite was hydrophobic in nature, with a contact angle of 105°, which was further enhanced to 122 ± 1° when processed via electrospinning technique into a non-woven fabric. The prepared nanocomposite could degrade up to 43% methylene blue dye in 15 days. This nanocomposite showed no significant molecular weight reduction after 1 h of aqeous treatment, which could be attributed to its hydrophobic nature, inhibiting its degradation. However, 50% degradation was observed for the nanocomoposite whereas, PLLA demonstrated 25% degradation in 15 days, after its end-of-life. Thus, this study revealed that the in situ synthesized PLA-ana-TCS nanocomposite could be targeted for use as a hydrophobic, self-cleaning, dye-degradable fabric.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) FTIR spectra for (i) SNC; (ii) TCS; (iii) ana-TCS; (iv) PLLA (synthesized in lab for reference); (v) PLLA/ana-TCS, (b) Magnified FTIR spectra of the samples within the range of 2000–620 cm−1, (c) Formation of O–Ti–O linkage in ana-TCS, (d) FTIR spectra of PLLA/ana-TCS within the range of 2000–700 cm-1, showing the presence of O–Ti–O bond.
Figure 2
Figure 2
1H NMR spectrum of PLLA-g-ana TCS, showing a magnified area within the range of 4.5–1.9 ppm.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structural evolution analysis using the XRD spectra of PLLA/ana-TCS, (a) inset: the magnified area between the range of 40–50° to show the peak at 48° clearly.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Raman spectra of ana-TCS, (b) Raman spectra of PLLA/ana-TCS, (c) WCA meaasurement of ana-TCS, SNC and PLLA/ana-TCS (from left).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) FESEM micrograph showing SNC nanoparticles, (b) EDX analysis of ana-TCS (inset: mapping for Ti, O, N content with wt. % composition), (c) FETEM micrograph of the fabricated ana-TCS, (d) HRTEM image elaborating the d- spacing corresponding to the anatase form of TiO2 (inset: SAED pattern showing anatase TiO2 over SNC template), (e) FESEM micrographs of the PLLA/ana-TCS nanocomposite showing the distribution of ana-TCS with network formation of TiO2 over SNC nanoparticles in a magnified way, (f) PLA/ana-TCS electrospun fiber, (g) magnified smooth surface of the electrospun fabric, (h) WCA of the nanofabric material depicting surface morphology.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) POM images showing spherulite growth formation in the nanocomposite at isothermal condition of 120 °C, (b) Histogram plot showing spherulite growth rate in the nanocomposite with increasing crystallization time.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Photocatalytic activity of ana-TCS in organic dye (MB), (b) Discoloration plot showing absorbance change with time, (c) Pseudo-first order kinetics for the 664 nm peak wherein R2 ⁓ 1, (d) MB discoloration plot for the PLLA/ana-TCS nanocomposite with time for the peaks 610 nm and 664 nm.
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