(225c) Non-Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics of Poly (?-caprolactone) (PCL) and MgO Incorporated PCL Nanofibers

Background: An understanding of the kinetics of the crystallization process is important for the selection of processing parameters such as temperature and time during the fabrication process. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is an excellent tool for following the progress of crystallization. Objective: the objective of this study is to investigate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetic of pure polycaprolactone (PCL), and magnesium Oxide nanoparticle incorporated PCL (MgO-PCL) nanofiber composite. Materials and Methods: PCL and MgO-PCL nanofiber composite are analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Results: The investigation was made as a function of cooling rates from 0.5 – 30 K/min to observe the crystallization, and melting behavior of poly (ɛ-caprolactone) and MgO-PCL nanofibers using DSC-3 from Mettler Toledo. The result shows that the crystallization temperature increased as the cooling rate decreased but with little melting temperature dependence on the cooling rates. Furthermore, the nanofibers' structural analysis and chemical structure were investigated using XRD and FTIR, respectively. The change in crystallinity using XRD indicates a change in chain mobility and might translate to higher mechanical properties. Conclusions: Polymeric electro spun nanofibers reinforced with nanoparticles (NPs) present many potential applications since they combine the flexibility and porosity of electro spun polymeric fibers with the functional properties of Mg nanoparticles.