This work aims at producing and investigating, for the first time, the microstructural and thermo-mechanical properties of fibers constituted by poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(alkylene furanoate)s (PAFs) blends for textile applications. Two different PAFs have been investigated, i.e., poly(octylene furanoate) (P8F) and poly(dodecylene furanoate) (P12F), which have been blended with PLA in different concentrations and spun through a lab-made wet spinning device. The microstructural investigation of the fiber cross-section evidenced domains of PAFs homogeneously dispersed within the PLA matrix. The immiscibility of the produced blends was also suggested by the fact that the glass transition temperature of PLA was unaffected by the presence of PAF. The thermal stability of PLA was not substantially influenced by the PAF content, whereas the water absorption tendency decreased with an increase in P12F fraction. The mechanical properties of PLA/P8F blends decreased with the P8F amount, while for PLA/P12F fiber blends the stiffness and the strength were approximatively constant by increasing the P12F content. The drawing process, performed at 70 °C and with two different draw ratios, brought an interesting increase in the mechanical properties of PLA fibers upon P12F introduction. These promising results constitute the basis for future research on these innovative bio-based fibers.
Furanoate polyesters are emerging as promising bioderived polymers that could replace petrochemical‐derived polyesters in several applications, for example, the textile field. Here, sustainable and fully bioderived fibers are wet‐spun by blending poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(pentamethylene 2,5‐furanoate) (PPeF), with up to 50 wt% of PPeF. PLA/PPeF blends result as immiscible, with PPeF domains homogeneously distributed within the PLA matrix, as shown by scanning electron micrographs. The immiscibility is confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, as the glass transition temperature of PLA is unaffected by PPeF. The immiscibility and poor adhesion between PLA and PPeF are responsible for the decrease in stress at break and elongation at break from 30.1 MPa and 127%, of PLA fibers, to 3.5 MPa and 1.9%, at high PPeF amounts. However, the addition of PPeF strongly decreases the PLA's tendency to absorb water and retain the processing solvents, showing a mass loss decrease from 3.1% for PLA fibers to 1% for fibers containing 50 wt% PPeF, thereby addressing one of the main drawbacks of PLA. These results, although preliminary, offer new directions for future works on innovative and sustainable fibers based on furanoate polyesters.
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