1. Introduction
In recent decades, stereocomplex polylactides (scPLAs) prepared
by blending poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide)
(PDLA) have been extensively studied [1,2]. The stereocomplex
crystallites of scPLAs formed from the co-crystallization of PLLA and
PDLA molecules are different from the homocrystallites of PLLA and
PDLA. The melting temperature (Tm) of the stereocomplex crystallites
(Tm z 230 C) is approximately 60 C higher than the Tm of
homocrystallites, due to the stronger van der Waals forces in the
stereocomplex crystallites [3e5]. The stereocomplex formation
enhances the hydrolysis resistance, thermal resistance and mechanical
properties of the PLAs [6e8]. The precise changes in the
scPLA properties by compounding additives are still required for
various melt processing and applications.