Thesis (M.Sc.)--Chulalongkorn University, 2011

In order to increase the hydrophilicity of biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), PLLA with a terminal positively-charged ammonium ion (p-PLLA) was synthesized. PLLA with M ̅n of 3,500 Da was reacted with glycidyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (GTMAC) to obtain up to 76% of substitution on the PLLA chain end. It was also confirmed that the attachment occurred mostly on the carboxyl chain end side. The degree of substitution was determined by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Hydrophilic property of the polymer was analyzed by measuring air-water contact angle of the modified PLLA films and it was found that the contact angles of p-PLLA (45°) was lower than that of the neat PLLA (57°). No significant change in the thermal properties when PLLA was transformed to p-PLLA as analyzed by DSC and TGA since PLLA was modified only at chain end position.