Preparation and characterization of biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) self-reinforced composites and their crystallization behavior

Self-reinforced poly(E-caprolactone) (PCL) composites were prepared by dispersing a homologous nucleating agent within the PCL matrix through melt mixing. Coalesced PCL, featuring more orderly chain arrangements, acted as the nucleating agent leading to improvement of crystallization for the melt PCL matrix. Non-isothermal melt crystallization behavior, isothermal melt crystallization kinetics, spherulitic morphology and the crystal structure of neat PCL and the PCL self-reinforced composites were studied in detail. The results indicated that both non-isothermal and isothermal melt crystallization of PCL composites were enhanced significantly by the homologous nucleating agent, while the crystallization mechanism and crystal structures remained unchanged. The results of tensile mechanical tests showed that the Young's modulus of the composites was improved by up to 77% with the incorporation of 20 wt% nucleating agent. Biocompatibility tests demonstrated that the cells could adhere to and proliferate well on the surface of the self-reinforced PCL composites. (C) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry