Treating PLA with heat and pressure creates crystals and causes polymer strands to become more organized. Those changes could make the material more useful in medical applications. (Mathiowitz lab/Brown University)

Polylactic acid, or PLA, is a biodegradable polymer commonly used to make medical implants and drug delivery systems. Brown University researchers have shown that by treating PLA at various temperatures and pressures, they can induce a new polymer phase in the material — one that could possibly decrease the rate at which it degrades.

PLA is used as a coating for time-release pills and implantable drug delivery systems. If the rate at which PLA degrades can be controlled, the rate at which it delivers a drug can be altered. For PLA implants that degrade over time, a patient would not need a second surgery to remove them.

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Topics:
Green Design & Manufacturing Materials Medical Plastics

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