Incorporation of Imidazolium-Based Polymers(PDI#) into Poly(lactic acid) to Balance Mechanical Toughness and Antibacterial Activity
발표자
김예진 (서울대학교)
연구책임자
이종찬 (서울대학교)
공동저자
김예진 (서울대학교), 이종찬 (서울대학교)
초록
내용
Polylactide (PLA) is a bio-based, biodegradable plastic, yet its brittleness limits wider use. We introduce imidazolium-functionalized poly[oxy(chloromethyl)ethylene] copolymers (PDI#; 30–71 mol% imidazolium units) as dual-functional additives for tough and antibacterial PLA blends. Solution-cast PLA/PDI# blends (20 wt%) show sea–island morphologies; ion–dipole interactions between imidazolium and PLA carbonyls reduce particle size and largely suppress PLA cold crystallization. With 20 wt% PDI51, toughness reaches 9.30 MJ m−3 (>15× neat PLA) while maintaining high optical transmittance. PDI# also yields strong activity against Escherichia coli (>3-log reduction), increasing with imidazolium content through electrostatic binding and membrane disruption by decyl chains. Too much imidazolium raises Tg and weakens rubber toughening, defining a compositional window that balances toughness and antibacterial performance.