Impact of Water and UV Irradiation on Nonwoven Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fiber

Abstract

A nonwoven fiber made of polylactide/natural rubber with a rubber content from 0 to 15 wt.% was obtained by electrospinning from a solution. The water sorption test showed that the addition of natural rubber into the polylactide matrix did not significantly affect the degree of water absorption of the fibers, which was in the range of 48.9–50.6%. The melt flow rate only increased by 0.5 g/10 min at a content of 15 wt.% natural rubber. The thermal characteristics after 120 days of degradation in distilled water and UV irradiation (50 h) at a wavelength of 365 nm were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. Changes in the values of the phase transition temperatures and the degree of crystallinity were determined. It was determined that the fiber samples from all compositions retained the propensity for photo- and hydrolytic degradation.

Thermal Properties and Dynamic Characteristics of Electrospun Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fibers during Disintegration in Soil

“…It should be noted that the effect of water on the thermophysical characteristics of PLA/NR fibers outside the soil is more active. So, when exposed to water for 180 days at T = 22 • C, the DSC thermograms of the studied samples did not contain the peak of glass transition and cold crystallization of PLA [30]. In the experiment with soil, no such effect was observed, although water was also involved in the biodegradation process.…”

“…When NR was added to the PLA matrix, the morphology of the non-woven fibers changes. This fact is studied and discussed in papers [15,28,30]. For example, Figure 1 show non-woven materials made of pure PLA and PLA/NR with an NR content of 15 wt.%.…”

“…An increase in the PLA degree of crystallinity is a consequence of the disintegration of the amorphous phase and a possible decrease in the molecular weight. When NR is added to the PLA matrix of the initial samples, the PLA degree of crystallinity PLA increases [30,32]. When exposed to the soil, the PLA degree of crystallinity in PLA/NR fibers decreases, which indicates the appearance of defective crystal structures during degradation.…”

Bamboo Charcoal/Poly(L-lactide) Fiber Webs Prepared Using Laser-Heated Melt Electrospinning

“…In this regard, polylactide (PLA), which is one of the most commonly used eco-friendly polymers generated from renewable resources including starch from corn or potato, has attracted considerable attention. The properties of crystalline poly-(L-lactide) (PLLA) in PLAs are similar to those of conventional polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, and biodegradability with the release of CO 2 and water as by-products, as well as biocompatibility, are unique properties of PLLA [ 24 ]. Studies on ultrafine PLLA fibers obtained by electrospinning have attracted significant interest from many researchers.…”

Electrospun Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fibers: Effect Natural Rubber Content on Fiber Morphology and Properties

“…Despite a significant number of articles on the morphology, thermal and mechanical properties, degradation of non-woven PLA fibers and composites based on it [ 24 , 25 , 26 ], there are no reports of the production and properties of non-woven fiber PLA/NR besides the work [ 27 ]. There are some papers that investigate the blends of PLA/NR obtained by dynamic vulcanization [ 28 ] or PLA/ENR [ 29 ], PLA/NBR [ 30 ], PLA/NR prepared by a melt mixer [ 31 ].…”