Neat PLLA Research Articles

Crystallization and Alkaline Degradation Behaviors of Poly(l-Lactide)/4-Armed Poly(ε-Caprolactone)-Block-Poly(d-Lactide) Blends with Different Poly(d-Lactide) Block Lengths.

Four-armed poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(d-lactide) (4-C-D) copolymers with different poly(d-lactide) (PDLA) block lengths (Mn,PDLAs) were synthesized by sequential ring-opening polymerization (ROP). The formation of stereocomplex (SC) crystallites in the 80/20 poly(l-lactide) (PLLA)/4-C-D blends were investigated with the change of Mn,PDLA from 0.5 to 1.5 kg/mol. It was found that the crystallization and alkaline degradation of the blends were profoundly affected by the formed SC crystallites. The PLLA/4-C-D0.5 blend had the lowest crystallization rate of the three blends, and it was difficult to see spherulites in this blend by polarized optical microscopy (POM) observation after isothermal crystallization at 140 °C for 4 h. Meanwhile, when Mn,PDLA was 1 kg/mol or 1.5 kg/mol, SC crystallites could be formed in the PLLA/4-C-D blend and acted as nucleators for the crystallization of PLLA homo-crystals. However, the overall crystallization rates of the two blends were still lower than that of the neat PLLA. In the PLLA/4-C-D1.5 blend, the Raman results showed that small isolated SC spherulites were trapped inside the big PLLA homo-spherulites during isothermal crystallization. The degradation rate of the PLLA/4-C-D blend decreased when Mn,PDLA increased from 0.5 to 1.5 kg/mol, and the degradation morphologies had a close relationship with the crystallization state of the blends. This work revealed the gradual formation of SC crystallites with the increase in Mn,PDLA in the PLLA/4-C-D blends and its significant effect on the crystallization and degradation behaviors of the blend films.

Influence of Hydroxyapatite Surface Functionalization on Thermal and Biological Properties of Poly(l-Lactide)- and Poly(l-Lactide-co-Glycolide)-Based Composites.

Novel biocomposites of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLLGA) with 10 wt.% of surface-modified hydroxyapatite particles, designed for applications in bone tissue engineering, are presented in this paper. The surface of hydroxyapatite (HAP) was modified with polyethylene glycol by using l-lysine as a linker molecule. The modification strategy fulfilled two important goals: improvement of the adhesion between the HAP surface and PLLA and PLLGA matrices, and enhancement of the osteological bioactivity of the composites. The surface modifications of HAP were confirmed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), TGA, and elemental composition analysis. The influence of hydroxyapatite surface functionalization on the thermal and in vitro biological properties of PLLA- and PLLGA-based composites was investigated. Due to HAP modification with polyethylene glycol, the glass transition temperature of PLLA was reduced by about 24.5 °C, and melt and cold crystallization abilities were significantly improved. These achievements were scored based on respective shifting of onset of melt and cold crystallization temperatures and 1.6 times higher melt crystallization enthalpy compared with neat PLLA. The results showed that the surface-modified HAP particles were multifunctional and can act as nucleating agents, plasticizers, and bioactive moieties. Moreover, due to the presented surface modification of HAP, the crystallinity degree of PLLA and PLLGA and the polymorphic form of PLLA, the most important factors affecting mechanical properties and degradation behaviors, can be controlled.

Effect of thermal annealing on crystal structure and properties of PLLA/PCL blend

As far as we know, to enhance the toughness of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) without compromising its inherent biodegradability, melt blending PLLA with flexible biodegradable polymers is the most effective and universal method. However, most of research results show a slight improvement in impact toughness due to the amorphous PLLA matrix. In other words, effective impact toughness can be achieved only if PLLA blend is in a highly crystalline state. In this work, blend of PLLA with 20 wt% PCL was prepared and then samples made by injection molding were applied to thermal annealing at different temperatures for 2 h to increase the crystallinity of PLLA matrix. The results show that the crystallinity of PLLA/PCL blend annealing at 80 °C is exceeding 40% and impact strength of the samples increases from 5.92 KJ/m2 of unannealed neat PLLA to 26.81 KJ/m2. At the same time, the thermal properties are also improved by a large margin.

Non-isothermal Crystallization, Melting Behavior, Thermal Decomposition, Fluidity and Mechanical Properties of Melt Processed Poly(L-lactic acid) Nucleated by N,N'-Adipic Bis(piperonylic acid) Dihydrazide

Enhancing on the crystallization ability of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) during practical processing is one of the most effective way to overcome the poor heat resistance. In this work, N,N '-adipic bis(piperonylic acid)dihydrazide (PAAH) was synthesized to be firstly used as a heterogeneous nucleating agent to evaluate its influence on the performances, including the crystallization, melting behavior, thermal stability, fluidity and mechanical property, of PLLA. The nucleation effect of PAAH was determined via the melt-crystallization of PLLA with various PAAH concentrations from 0.5 to 3 wt % at different cooling rates, as well as the different final melting temperature Tf . The results revealed that the PAAH could significantly accelerate the crystallization of PLLA in cooling, and the melt-crystallization peak shifted toward the higher temperature with increasing of PAAH concentration, resulting from an increase of nucleation density in PLLA matrix. Additionally, both the cooling rate and Tf were two critical factors to crystallization, a higher cooling rate could weaken the crystallization ability of PLLA/PAAH, and the 200°C was the optimum melting process temperature. For cold-crystallization, PAAH had an inhibition for the cold-crystallization of PLLA, but the cold-crystallization peak moved toward the higher temperature with increasing of heating rate because of thermal inertia. There existed only a single melting peak after melt-crystallization at cooling of 1°C, which further confirmed the advanced nucleation effect of PAAH, but the double-melting peaks appeared after isothermal crystallization at 110°C, which was attributed to the melt-recrystallization. The other measurements showed that, compared to the neat PLLA, the addition of PAAH decreased the thermal stability and tensile modulus of PLLA, but PLLA/PAAH samples had the better fluidity, the higher tensile strength and the longer elongation at break.

Preparation and characterization of PLLA/chitosan-graft-poly (ε-caprolactone) (CS-g-PCL) composite fibrous mats: The microstructure, performance and proliferation assessment

In order to achieve the electrospinning of chitosan in common organic solvents, amino-reserved CS-g-PCL was synthesized by one-step method. PLLA and dichloromethane/ethanol (CH2Cl2/EtOH) solvent were chosen to prepare a series of different compositions of PLLA/CS-g-PCL mats (8/2, 6/4, 4/6, 2/8 wt/wt%) by electrospinning. The SEM showed that the smooth defect-free and uniform nanofibers were collected except PLLA/CS-g-PCL 2/8 and pure CS-g-PCL, and the fiber diameter was decreased from 828 nm to 461 nm with the increasing content of CS-g-PCL. The mechanical properties of composite mats have decreased with increasing CS-g-PCL content, but much higher than neat PLLA. The water contact angle, water absorption rate, water-vapor transmission rate and in vitro degradation behavior were 129°–19°, 109%–482%, 1945–2517 g m−2 day−1 and 4–14%, respectively. The addition of CS-g-PCL imparted PLLA/CS-g-PCL electrospun mats on better properties, improving the nature defects of PLLA. The in vitro cell culture studies showed that PLLA/CS-g-PCL 6/4 exhibited a higher in vitro biocompatibility and a better ability for cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation, comparing with PLLA mats. Herein, PLLA/CS-g-PCL 6/4 electrospun mats with excellent performance, was considered the potential application as wound dressing in skin tissue engineering.

Structure-properties relationships of novel cyclic olefinic copolymer/poly(L-lactic acid) polymer blends

The structure-properties relationships of novel cyclic olefinic copolymer (COC)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) polymer blends are investigated by varying the PLLA content from 5–20 wt % in COC matrix, forming an immiscible blends at all concentrations. Despite immiscibility, COC favors the formation of α- crystal form of PLLA in the blends, contrary to the α’- crystal form in neat PLLA due to non-covalent interactions of the chain moieties as evident from x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and differential scanning calorimetry. The COC/PLLA blends revealed tunable superior mechanical and barrier properties as compared to the neat counterparts. The tensile modulus, strength and toughness of COC/PLLA blends at 15 wt% are significantly enhanced ∼ 89 %, 103 % and one order of magnitude, respectively. Such reinforcement and super toughening mechanisms are pertaining to the effective dissipation of loads across the interfaces, enabling them to delay the crack growth by avoiding stress concentration sites. Likewise, the water vapor permeation (WVP) of the blends is reduced ∼ 4 times than neat COC.

Environmentally safe bioadditive allows degradation of refractory poly(lactic acid) in seawater: Effect of poly(aspartic acid-co-l-lactide) on the hydrolytic degradation of PLLA at different salinity and pH conditions

Although poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) is supposed to be a biodegradable polymer, actually neat PLLA is basically non-degradable in seawater, and this work reports a means to overcome this limitation. The present study demonstrates that the addition of the environmentally safe bioadditive, poly(aspartic acid-co-l-lactide) (PAL) to PLLA allows its hydrolytic degradation at 40 °C under various pH conditions with different salt concentrations. It was found that the mass of neat PLLA hardly decreased upon immersion in water at a pH 3.4–10.4 for 100 days, whereas the addition of 20 wt% of PAL to PLLA resulted in a significant mass reduction at any pH. In acidic and neutral solutions the addition of salt even enhanced the hydrolysis rate of the PLLA/PAL blends, and in alkaline solutions the blends completely disappeared in a relatively short period of time, e.g., 30–40 days at pH 10.4 and 18–25 days at pH 12.0. Thus, the present study demonstrated that the addition of PAL to PLLA causes pristine PLLA to be degradable in salty environments such as seawater and body fluid and that PLLA/PAL with tunable degradation rate is effective as a biomaterial in medical and pharmaceutical applications used in the wide pH range.

Co-incorporation of graphene oxide/silver nanoparticle into poly-L-lactic acid fibrous: A route toward the development of cytocompatible and antibacterial coating layer on magnesium implants.

Magnesium (Mg) alloys present great potential for the development of orthopedic implants, whereas, their high degradation rate and poor antibacterial performance have restricted orthopedic applications. In this work, PLLA/GO-AgNP (poly-L-lactic acid/graphene oxide- silver nanoparticle) with different concentration of GO-AgNPs were deposited on Mg alloy via electrospinning method for enhancement of corrosion resistance and antibacterial performance. The result revealed that incorporation of GO into PLLA fibrous considerably slowed down the degradation rate of Mg alloy substrate and reduced the H2 release rate from the substrate. Also, co-incorporation of GO and AgNPs into PLLA fibrous resulted in substantial escalate in compressive strength after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Antibacterial activity test exhibited that Mg alloy and neat PLLA fibrous presented minimal inhibition area toward Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In contrast, using PLLA/GO-AgNPs fibrous improved antibacterial performance against both bacteria. Cytocompatibility results indicated that PLLA/GO-AgNPs fibrous with a low amount of GO-AgNPs enhanced cell proliferation and growth while high co-incorporation of GO-AgNPs showed a negative effect on cell proliferation. Taken together, PLLA/1GO-AgNPs fibrous coating shows suitable corrosion resistance, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial function for use in orthopedic applications.

Interfacial stability of compatibilizers dictated by the thermodynamic interactions in an immiscible system and the effects of micelles on the crystallization of PLLA

ABSTRACTPoly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) is blended with three acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) materials and compatibilized by a kind of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)‐type reactive comb (RC) polymer (RC). The compatibilization efficiency is found to be dictated by the thermodynamic interactions between PMMA‐type compatibilizers and ABS materials. For one type of ABS, which is composed of methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene (St), acrylonitrile (AN), and butadiene (BD), the MMA component of ABS is able to strengthen the interaction between the PMMA‐type compatibilizers and the ABS phase and thus the obtained compatibilized PLLA/ABS blends display a fine cocontinuous morphology and excellent mechanical properties. For the other two ABS materials, which are constituted by St, AN, and BD, it has been found that the PMMA‐type compatibilizers are pulled out from the interface to form micelles in the PLLA phase, on account of the weakening interactions between ABS and PMMA‐type compatibilizers. The thus formed micelles can interact with the crystallization of PLLA and the melting temperature (Tm) of PLLA is split into a lower and a higher peak firstly, compared to the Tm of neat PLLA, then significantly decrease to lower temperature, with increasing the amount of micelles in the PLLA phase. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020, 58, 372–382

Synthesis, Geometry Structure and Properties of N, N’-Carbonic Bis(Piperonylic Acid) Dihydrazide

In this study, N, N’-carbonic bis(piperonylic acid) dihydrazide (BPACH) was synthesized to broaden the category of piperonylic acid derivative and evaluate its influences on the thermal properties of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA). The geometry optimization of BPACH showed that the highest occupied molecular orbital mainly focused on the formed amide group and carbonic dihydrazide, whereas the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital mainly focused on the piperonylic acid, and the orbital energy gap was 0.10418 eV. The differences in melt-crystallization processes of the neat PLLA and PLLA/BPACH samples indicated that the BPACH could provide the effective nucleation site to accelerate the crystallization of PLLA, but the crystallization accelerating effect was still further improved compared to some reported nucleating agents. The melting behaviors of PLLA/BPACH samples after crystallization depended on the crystallization temperatures and heating rates; additionally, the melting processes could also effectively reflect the previous crystallization behaviors.

Effects of divinylbenzene‐maleic anhydride copolymer hollow microspheres on crystallization behaviors, mechanical properties and heat resistance of poly(l‐lactide acid)

Divinylbenzene‐maleic anhydride copolymer hollow microspheres (DMs) were used as novel organic nucleating agents to promote crystallization of poly(l‐lactide acid) (PLLA). The effects of these DMs on crystal behaviors of the PLLA were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). Both isothermal and non‐isothermal processes in DSC demonstrated that the DMs significantly altered the crystal behaviors of PLLA as both crystallization velocity and degree of crystallinity increased with increasing DM loadings from 0 to 3%. Our POM results also indicated that as nucleating agents, the DMs promoted nucleating densities and decreased spherulitic sizes. In addition, WAXD suggeted that the addition of DMs did not induce new types of crystals. Finally, our results showed that the ductility of the PLLA was enhanced by a small amount of DMs during the PLLA crystallization process since 0.5% DMs added to the PLLA resulted in 1.4‐fold increase in the elongation at break in comparision with the neat PLLA.

The use of electrospun curcumin-loaded poly(L-lactic acid) fiber mats as wound dressing materials

Electrospun poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) fiber mats containing curcumin were prepared by electrospinning. Varying amounts of as-loaded curcumin at 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0% w/w (based on the weight of PLLA) were added in the PLLA solution. Results showed that the obtained fibers were smooth with no surface aggregates, indicating complete incorporation of curcumin. Average diameter of the fibers ranged between ~333 and ~386 nm. Water retention and weight loss of neat and curcumin-loaded PLLA fiber mats in phosphate buffer solution containing Tween 80 and methanol were not significantly different with increasing submersion time. Released amount of curcumin from curcumin-loaded PLLA fiber mats increased with higher loadings of curcumin. Antioxidant activity of the as-released curcumin from the fiber mats ranged between ~18% and ~53%. The materials were non-toxic to human adult dermal fibroblast (HDFa) cells and supported cell attachment and proliferation. These materials showed potential for wound dressing applications.

Structure variation and properties enhancement of uniaxial stretching poly(l‐lactic acid)/eggshell powder composites

ABSTRACTBiodegradable poly(l‐lactic acid) (PLLA)/eggshell (ES) powder composites were prepared by melt blending and uniaxial stretching above the glass‐transition temperature of PLLA. Scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that micropores appeared in stretched composites. Porosity was affected by two factors, stretch ratios, and ES contents. Differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction results demonstrated that strain‐induced crystallization in α‐form could be achieved in PLLA matrix. This superstructure improved multifunctional performance of PLLA composites. The exceptional combination of strength, modulus, and ductility of stretched PLLA90/ES10 composites with a stretch ratio of 6 were demonstrated, exceeding neat PLLA with the increments of 148, 190, and 507% in breaking strength, modulus, and elongation at break (140.8 MPa, 3810 MPa, and 35.2%), respectively. Meanwhile, the enhancement of thermomechanical properties due to high crystallinity and controllable degradation rates resulting from porosity were obtained by adjusting the composites compositions and/or stretch ratios. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48158.

Effect of radiation processing on physical properties of aminated MWCNTs/Poly(l-lactide) nanocomposites

Abstract To extend the applications of Poly( l -lactide) (PLLA) biopolymer in medicine and industry, the PLLA was reinforced using aminated Multiwalled carbon nanotubes(MWCNT-NH 2)Nano fibers and then irradiated under gamma radiation. For valuable realization the characteristic of MWCNTs as reinforcing filer, initially, the PLLA were covalently grafted from the surface of MWCNT-NH2using l -lactide oligomer. For medical application purpose of PLLA and its nanocomposites, sterilization of samples under high energy radiation is carried out. Characterization of neat PLLA and its composites with various concentrations of reinforcing fillers, before and after irradiation processing was carried out to elucidate the effect of nanofillers and subsequently gamma irradiation on PLLA nanocomposites. The results show that after gamma irradiation the melting point of PLLA and its composites were decreased. The crystalline phase of PLLA and its composites was increased gradually with the dose of radiation. Finally, the photoluminescence (PL) of PLLA and its composites was increased with increasing the dose under irradiation processing.

Facile method to fabricate poly(L-lactic acid)/C60 tetragonal single crystal composites with enhanced thermal stability

For the first time, the poly(L-lactide acid) (PLLA) composites with C60 tetragonal single crystal (C60TSC) were fabricated through facile evaporation of the CHCl3 solution containing PLLA and C60. Results showed C60TSC in composites had side length in micron scale, and their mean size decreased, their number increased with C60 content in composites. The C60TSC in composites were face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice C60 single crystal composed of monomeric C60, and displayed blueshift relative to the UV absorption bands of C60. C60TSC formation resulted in PLLA composite with higher thermal stability, higher cold crystallization temperature as well as higher melting temperature than neat PLLA.

Constructing Sandwich-Architectured Poly(l-lactide)/High-Melting-Point Poly(l-lactide) Nonwoven Fabrics: Toward Heat-Resistant Poly(l-lactide) Barrier Biocomposites with Full Biodegradability.

Heat-resistant poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) barrier biocomposites with full biodegradability were realized through the construction of locally oriented and compact transcrystallinity supernetworks in the network of high-melting-point poly(l-lactide) (hPLLA) nonwoven fabrics composed of high-efficiency nucleating hPLLA fiber through design of two types of sandwich architectures for PLLA/hPLLA nonwoven fabrics, where single or double hPLLA nonwoven fabrics were introduced at the core or two sides of PLLA matrix film, respectively. The hPLLA fiber induced dense and oriented PLLA transcrystallinity in networks of hPLLA nonwoven fabrics and impermeable crystalline layers were formed with well-interlinked lamellae, which served as impermeable barriers to oxygen and water vapor molecules. Moreover, hPLLA nonwoven fabrics involving the compact transcrystallinity behaved as framework to support the PLLA matrix and resist the thermal deformation. The sandwich-architectured PLLA with double hPLLA nonwoven fabrics exhibited better barrier properties and heat resistance than that with single hPLLA nonwoven fabrics. Compared with neat PLLA, the oxygen permeability coefficient and water permeability coefficient of PLLA/double hPLLA nonwoven fabric biocomposites significantly decreased by 61.7% and 58.7%, and the storage modulus increased by a factor of 160 at 80 °C. This work provides a novel method to fabricate heat-resistant PLLA barrier film with full biodegradability for packaging application.

The influence of hydroxyapatite content on properties of poly(L-lactide)/hydroxyapatite porous scaffolds obtained using thermal induced phase separation technique

In the research we obtained porous scaffolds based on poly(L-lactide) and synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) using thermal induced phase separation technique (TIPS) supported by salt leaching process (SL). The obtained series of composite foams differ in hydroxyapatite content (10, 25, 50, 75, 90 wt% of the HA in PLLA/HA systems). The investigated scaffolds porosity ranged from 88 to 98%, density from 0.024 to 0.140 g/cm3. Water contact angle measurements indicated more hydrophilic scaffold surface with increasing hydroxyapatite content in the composites. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed higher thermal stability of all composites comparing to neat PLLA, indicated presence of ∼3 wt% residual sodium chloride in the scaffolds. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed nucleation effect of hydroxyapatite and higher crystallinity of PLLA in the composites as compared to the neat PLLA. The above tests were supplemented with compressive strength measurements, which showed an increase in the Young’s modulus and compressive stresses values parallelly with the increase of the filler content. Proliferation tests of MC3T3-E1 mouse calvaria pre-osteoblast cells indicated directly proportional relationship between hydroxyapatite content and cells proliferation rate.

Effect of Ethylene/butyl methacrylate/Glycidyl Methacrylate Terpolymer on toughness and biodegradation of poly (l-lactic acid).

The super toughed poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) blends with various content of Ethylene/butyl methacrylate/Glycidyl Methacrylate Terpolymer (GEBMA) were prepared by melt compounding. The blend was an immiscible system but had good compatibility due to the chemical reaction between the epoxy groups of GEBMA and the end group of PLLA during the blending process. The addition of GEBMA suppressed the cold crystallization and non-isothermal melt crystallization of PLLA. GEBMA was a very effective toughening agent for PLLA. The addition of only 15 wt% GEBMA, the elongation at break and impact strength of the blend were significantly improved compared to neat PLLA, which were 63 and 18 times that of neat PLLA, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the impact fracture surfaces of the blends showed a large amount of cavities and plastic deformation in the blend, which induced energy dissipation and therefore led to the improvement in toughness of the PLLA/GEBMA blends. For the PLLA/GEBMA blown films, the addition of GEBMA significantly improved the flexibility of PLLA/GEBMA blown film. The tear strength reached a maximum of 143.5 kN/m in the machine direction (MD) and 166.7 kN/m in the transverse direction (TD). Moreover, the biodegradation of PLLA was enhanced after blends preparation.

Development of porous bio-composites through microwave curing for bone tissue engineering

Abstract Porous bio-composites made of Poly (L- lactide) (PLLA) and nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) are widely used in bone tissue engineering applications owing to their human bone mimicking properties. In this work, a novel method to fabricate porous PLLA/HA bio-composite scaffolds using microwave energy was explored. Microwave curing is a novel processing route of polymer-based composites, owing to its faster and uniform heating, better temperature control, which yields improved mechanical properties. The porosity in the PLLA/HA bio-composites was introduced through selective leaching methods. The developed scaffolds were characterized for the porosity using SEM. The porous scaffolds were observed to have a homogeneously interconnected porous structure with narrower pore size distribution. The theoretical porosity percentage was obtained in the range of 21% -23% where actual porosity percentage was in the range of 20-22 %. The porosity connectivity was comparable and having the value of 96.67%. The mechanical properties were also characterised in term of compression and flexural strength. The compression strength for PLLA+ 10% HA (11.17 MPa) was greater than neat PLLA, whereas the flexural strength was greater in case of neat PLLA (95.4 MPa).

Phenomenon of LCST-type phase behavior in SAN/PMMA systems and its effect on the PLLA/ABS blend compatibilized by PMMA-type polymers: Interface stabilization or micelle formation

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-acrylonitrile) (PMMA/SAN) displays a lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase behavior, in which the miscibility of the binary system is determined by the phase-separation temperature. Herein, a PMMA-type comb-like polymers, which are constituted by PMMA backbone and side chains and a few randomly distributing epoxide groups along the backbone are applied as compatibilizers in an immiscible acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene/poly(l-lactic acid) (ABS/PLLA) system and it has been found that the stability of the PMMA-type compatibilizers at the interface of the immiscible blend is determined by the processing temperature. When the processing temperature is inside the miscible region of the phase diagram, the PMMA-type compatibilizers can hold the interface of PLLA and ABS phase tightly, with the PMMA backbone and side chains entangling with the SAN phase of ABS and the grafted PLLA side chains with the PLLA phase and the obtained compatibilized PLLA/ABS blend exhibits excellent toughness compared to the neat PLLA. Otherwise, the compatibilizers tend to be drawn into the PLLA phase to form micelles, due to the weakening interactions of PMMA chains with the SAN phase when the temperature is outside the miscible region. These results on one hand indicate the importance of the force balance for the compatibilizers at the interface, and on the other hand reveal the effect of temperature in a multicomponent system which contains temperature-sensitive polymeric pairs.