Nicholas Gajkowski

Mr. Nicholas Gajkowski

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
28 June 2026 in Polymers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Peng GaoPeng Gao
Peng Gao
MJMax Andrew Johnson
Max Andrew Johnson
DWDuncan Woodward
Duncan Woodward
Nicholas GajkowskiNicholas Gajkowski
Nicholas Gajkowski
MKMia Knipe
Mia Knipe
LKLeia Kaminsky
Leia Kaminsky
This study examines the effects of 2 wt% orotic acid (OA) nucleation and injection molding conditions on the crystallization behavior and thermo-mechanical performance of polylactic acid (PLA). Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction revealed that 2 wt.% OA accelerates crystallization, enabling molded PLA to achieve crystallinity levels as high as 52–53% under low packing pressure and long hold time. Mechanical testing showed that tensile modulus increased with longer hold time, while tensile strength decreased due to constrained relaxation in the skin layer. Flexural strength increased with packing pressure, whereas flexural modulus decreased as the degree of crystallinity decreased under higher pressure conditions. Heat deflection temperature (HDT) showed the greatest sensitivity to processing, rising from 58 °C to 100–131 °C in optimized PLA–OA samples. The highest HDT values occurred under conditions that promoted both high crystallinity and extended lamellar development with strong α-phase formation. These results demonstrate that combining OA nucleation with controlled injection molding enables high-crystallinity, high-HDT PLA without post-annealing, offering a viable route for producing thermally stable PLA components suitable for hot-fill and reheatable food packaging applications.