PLA-*g*-Vinyltrimethoxysilane (PLA-*g*-VTMS)

PLA-*g*-VTMS was prepared by a free radical reaction of vinyltrimethoxysilane **(**VTMS) on PLA in the presence of DCP in a Brabender at 190 ◦C for 5 min. The trimethoxysilane was then hydrolyzed to allow the crosslinking of the PLA chains to improve the mechanical properties of the PLA nanofibers (Figure 20) [97]. Electrospun nanofibrous mats based on PLA/NCC and PLA-*g*-silane/NCC nanocomposites were fabricated and compared. PLA-*g*-VTMS was used to improve the mechanical properties of PLA/nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). In particular, the impact of NCC on improving tensile strength was notable, even though no chemical reaction of PLA-*g*-VTMS with NCC is reported. In addition, a cytotoxicity assessment showed the biocompatibility of the modified nanofibers, making them good candidates for tissue engineering applications.

**Figure 19.** Reaction scheme for the grafting of NTA on PLA (from Herskovitz et al. [96], copyright American Chemical Society, reproduced with permission).

**Figure 20.** Synthesis scheme of PLA-*g*-VTMS, hydrolysis of methoxysilane, and crosslinking of PLA chains (adapted from Rahmat et al. [97], copyright Elsevier, reproduced with permission).
