Poly ɛ‐caprolactone (PCL) and poly lactic acid (PLA) stand out as biocompatible polymers. In this study, PCL and PLA were blended in 40:60 ratio, respectively, and then the Gd2O3 compound, which is an important earth element oxide, was mixed in PLA–PCL shape memory polymer (SMP) blend at different rates and polymer blend nanocomposites were obtained. First of all, the effects of Gd2O3 oxide on the thermal properties of the SMP blend were determined with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and it was determined that Gd2O3 did not have a significant effect on the melting temperature of the blend, while it significantly increased its thermal stability. As a result of the XRD (X‐ray diffraction) analysis of the composites at room temperature, it was determined that the semicrystalline blend, with the addition of Gd2O3, increased its crystalline property. When the shape memory effect was examined, it was understood that the additive did not eliminate the shape memory effect. When the magnetic property of the gadolinium oxide‐doped composite, which is magnetocaloric oxide, was examined, the magnetic property of the composite changed from diamagnetic to paramagnetic with increasing additives. Finally, the mechanical properties of the shape memory blend composite were investigated and no regular changes were observed in the mechanical properties with increasing Gd2O3.
Recently, there has been a great demand for boron‐containing compounds (BCCs) with unique biological properties. The demand for the use of these compounds not alone but as additives in composite materials is increasing day by day. In this study, the effect of adding B2O3 compound to the blend of PLA and PEG polymers, which is an important biocompatible shape memory polymer, was investigated. In order to examine the effect of increasing B2O3 additive on the thermal properties of PLA‐PEG blend, it was determined by using a Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and it was seen that while the melting temperature of PEG decreased, the melting temperature of PLA increased. In addition, when the thermal stability of the composites was examined, increasing of thermal stability was observed with the addition of B2O3 and a three‐step degradation occurred. It was determined that the B2O3/PLA‐PEG composite was homogeneous by taking X‐ray measurements and SEM measurements. The antimicrobial property of the PLA‐PEG blend improved with the increasing B2O3 contribution were observed from the antimicrobial activity measurements of the composite against 4 different bacteria. However, it was determined that the PLA‐PEG blend preserved its shape memory effect with increasing diboron trioxide contribution.
This work aimed to investigate the effect of magnetic Fe
3
O
4
nanoparticles (MNP), which are known to have a wide range of applications in recent years, on nanocomposite films prepared with shape memory polymers. Herein, PLA–PEG blend nanocomposite films were prepared by solution casting method using MNP at different ratios. PLA–PEG Blend/MNP nanocomposite films were characterized with Attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) to determine the –C=O stretching of PLA and Fe–O stretching signals of Fe
3
O
4
. The thermal stability, morphology, and magnetic behavior were studied by comparing the results among PLA–PEG blend, PLA–PEG blend/MNP nanocomposite with thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The effect of MNP on the shape memory properties of PLA/PEG blend was investigated. Moreover, the comparison of antimicrobial activity between PLA/PEG blend and PLA–PEG blend/MNP nanocomposite films were conducted by the disk diffusion method. The results showed that MNP increased the thermal stability of the PLA/PEG blend and the nanocomposites inhibited the growth of
C.albicans
microorganism.
Graphical Abstract
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