Structure Formation during Phase Separation of Poly(D,L-Lactide)–Tetraglycol–Antisolvent Ternary System

Abstract

The diffusion and structure formation processes during phase separation of poly(D,L)-lactide solutions in tetraglycol and their antisolvent deposition in aqueous medium are experimentally studied. The effect of the molecular weight of polymers, the initial concentrations of their solutions, and the composition of antisolvent medium on the type of structures formed is studied. We find that either fractal-like or spongy polymer structures are formed as a result of phase separation processes. We show that the structure type depends on the intensity of diffusion processes in the polylactide–tetraglycol–antisolvent ternary system.