Crystallization behavior of the system poly(L-lactic acid) and pentaerythrityl tetrabromide

Differential scanning calorimetry has been used to study the thermal crystallization of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and pentaerythrityl tetrabromide mixtures at different compositions. The melting temperature-composition phase diagram of the system reveals that PLLA forms a simple eutectic with pentaerythrityl tetrabromide, with a eutectic composition of 46% (w/w) of PLLA and a eutectic temperature of 422 K. Investigation of the microstructures obtained after removal of the diluent from the eutectic using scanning electron microscopy shows that the simultaneous crystallization of PLLA and the diluent proceeded in such a way that the diluent rods are the leading phase