Abdessalem Derdouri1, Abdellah Ajji1, and Yacine Boucekine2. (1) Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council Canada, 75 de Mortagne Boulevard, Boucherville, QC H2V 3R4, Canada, (2) Mechanical Engineering Department, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada
Using micro-injection molding as a processing method, the effect of injection speed and mold temperature on the in-mold crystallization of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is investigated. Test bars were micro-molded at injection speeds of 50 mm/s up to 600 mm/s, keeping the mold cavity temperature during filling at 30 and 100 oC. Differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X-ray diffraction were used to assess the structure development during processing. Tensile tests were also carried out to determine the elastic modulus as a function of the molding conditions.