Abstract
Polymer–solvent complexes, poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) with cyclopentanone (CPO), were studied at multiple length scales using differential scanning calorimetry, small-angle neutron scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and temperature-dependent wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering. PLLA crystallizes in the e form when organic solvents such as CPO are incorporated into the crystal lattice at subambient temperatures. The transformation of this structure into the α form during solvent desorption and the accompanying changes in the lamellar structure were followed by various measurements on PLLA/CPO cocrystals. SANS data suggest that CPO is present stoichiometrically in the crystal lattice and as clusters in the interlamellar amorphous regions in the nominally dried samples. DSC thermogram showed a sharp endotherm during this e to α transition. X-ray fiber diagrams showed that the e form transforms to the α form over a temperature range (40–55 °C) as the solvent molecules are expelled from the cr...
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