Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of Thermal And Γ-Photon Induced Degradation In Polylactic Acid For Potential As A Solid-State Radiation Detector, Nathan M. Boyle, Alex Bakken, Rusi P. Taleyarkhan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Degradation of the biopolymer Polylactic Acid, both thermally and through irradiation will cause physical changes in the material. These changes can be used in applications such as adhesives and sealants or in medical applications, but the primary focus of this study is for use as a solid-state radiation detector. A literature review shows that current research has been focused on thermal and γ-photon degradation in PLA but the physical characteristics such as melting temperature, latent heat of fusion, and composition of molecular bonds have not been compared in the same study. This study focuses on how thermal properties of PLA …