Crystallization of Star-Shaped Poly(l-lactide)s with Arm Chains Aligned in the Same Direction in Two-Dimensional Crystals in a Langmuir Monolayer.

Polylactide (PLA) crystallizes to form extended-chain crystals in a Langmuir monolayer because crystallization is accelerated on the water surface. This is a unique situation where chain packing can be analyzed by simply measuring the lamellar thickness. Herein, star-shaped poly(l-lactide)s (PLLAs) with 2-12 arms were synthesized through the polymerization of l-lactide with various polyols as initiators, and their crystallization behavior in a monolayer was studied via atomic force microscopy.