2018_EJRNL_PP_BRUNA_DRIUSSI_MISTRO_MATOS_1.pdf
Terbatas Rita Nurainni, S.I.Pus
» ITB
Terbatas Rita Nurainni, S.I.Pus
» ITB
Abstract
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable and bioresorbable biopolymer that has successfully been applied in biomedical
and related fields. It is in the form of filaments, presenting different colors, with the purpose to be used in the threedimensional
printing (3D) technique. Thus, this work aimed to characterize five commercially available PLA filaments
which were differentiated by color, as follows: blue (1), gray (2), transparent (3), orange (4) and natural (5) comparing to a
pellet pattern. Thermal characterization was performed throughout simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG), derivative
thermogravimetry (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Significant
differences in the enthalpies and temperatures of crystallization and melting indicated differences in crystallinity of the
filaments corroborated by the XRD analysis. While analyzing using TG/DTG–DTA, significant differences in thermal
stability were observed. The absorption spectroscopy in the infrared was also done to determine the chemical composition
of the samples. Additionally, it was also observed the structure, size and roughness of the filaments using confocal
microscopy building three-dimensional images. The oscillatory rheometer was employed to determinate the complex
viscosity (g), the store modulus (G0) and the loss modulus (G00) as a function of frequency (x). After conducting the
characterizations, it was possible to compare the five types of PLA filaments and identify the best one to feature a
functionalization in the future, which possibly enable them in tissue engineering applications. Results indicated that the
blue filament fulfilled the best results regarding print quality, higher-temperature degradation and thermal stability, with the
molar mass and viscosity superior to the other filaments.