Degradation behavior of poly (l-lactide-co-glycolide) films through gamma-ray irradiation

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Gamma-ray irradiation is a very useful tool to improve the physicochemical properties of various biodegradable polymers without the use of a heating and crosslinking agent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the degradation behavior of poly (l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) depending on the applied gamma-ray irradiation doses. PLGA films prepared through a solvent casting method were irradiated with gamma radiation at various irradiation doses. The irradiation was performed using 60Co gamma-ray doses of 25-500kGy at a dose rate of 10kGy/h. The degradation of irradiated films was observed through the main chain scission. Exposure to gamma radiation dropped the average molecular weight (M<SUB>n</SUB> and M<SUB>w</SUB>), and weakened the mechanical strength. Thermograms of irradiated film show various changes of thermal properties in accordance with gamma-ray irradiation doses. Gamma-ray irradiation changes the morphology of the surface, and improves the wettability. In conclusion, gamma-ray irradiation will be a useful tool to control the rate of hydrolytic degradation of these PLGA films.