Skip to main content
Passa alla visualizzazione normale.

ROBERTO SCAFFARO

Effect of graphene and fabrication technique on the release kinetics of carvacrol from polylactic acid

Abstract

Porous membranes and thin films containing poly-lactic acid (PLA), carvacrol (CRV) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were fabricated by electrospinning and solvent casting at different formulations. The systems were characterized from a mechanical, morphological, calorimetric and spectroscopic point of view. CRV release as a function of time was studied and a mathematical model was used to fit and interpret the data in order to investigate the release mechanism. The results indicate that the incorporation of GNP generally determined a simultaneous strengthening, stiffening and toughening effect, while preserving a good ductility. Furthermore, integrating GNP allowed tuning the amount and kinetics of CRV release, and proved to reduce the initial burst release effect.