Control of the Crystalline Morphology of Poly(l-lactide) by Addition of High-Melting-Point Poly(l-lactide) and Its Effect on the Distribution of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.

The key to fabricating conductive polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites is controlling the distribution of CNTs in the polymer matrix. Here, an effective and simple approach for controlling the distribution of multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) is reported to largely improve the electrical conductivity of biodegradable poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) through crystalline morphology development by addition of high-melting-point PLLA (hPLLA) crystallites. hPLLA crystallites are efficient nucleating agents, increasing the crystallinity and crystallization rate of PLLA/MWCNT nanocomposites.