Melt spinning of PLA/PCL blends modified with electron induced reactive processing

Abstract

The effect of electron induced reactive processing (EIReP) on the properties of biodegradable polylactide/masticated polycaprolactone (PLA/PCL) blends was firstly investigated without introducing any chemical additives. Subsequently, the melt spinnability of EIReP modified PLA/PCL blends was explored by a piston spinning. The EIReP modified PLA/PCL blends showed improved melt strength and elastic behavior. This is due to the formation of long chain branches and the enhanced chain entanglements. The crystallinity of PLA phase increased from 2.4% to 35.7% as the applied dose increased from 0 to 50 kGy. The PLA/PCL blends treated with 12.5 kGy demonstrated 2.4-fold of impact toughness than that of neat PLA, suggesting a superior interfacial adhesion and chain interactions between two phases. The crystallinity of the PLA/PCL fibers decreased from 33.3% to 17.8% as the applied dose increased from 12.5 kGy to 50 kGy. It is resulted from the hindered chain mobility of branched/grafted structures during fiber formation. The fracture strain of the fibers using a non-irradiated blend was 232.9% which increased to 311.5% for the 50 kGy irradiated blends. However, the fibers spun from irradiated blends demonstrated similar initial modulus but reduced tenacity compared to fibers spun from non-irradiated blend material.

Electron Beam Etching of Cellulose Microgels for Absorptive Separation of DMSO from Reactions of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural Synthesis

“…Therefore, the largest changes in the microgels mainly appeared on the surface. The formation of high‐energy heat during the incident collision may have also been partially responsible for the microgel aggregation and the formation of small particles [33,34] …”

“…The formation of high-energy heat ChemSusChem during the incident collision may have also been partially responsible for the microgel aggregation and the formation of small particles. [33,34] The cellulose microgels were used to separate HMF from a high-boiling solvent, DMSO. We expected that it would enrich DMSO by solvent swelling while keeping the HMF component away from the microgels.…”

A Review on Melt-Spun Biodegradable Fibers

“…However, when blending polymers to enhance mechanical properties, it is important to consider the potential impact on biodegradation behavior. While blending PLA with PCL can lead to improved mechanical properties and biodegradability of PLA under home composting conditions [202], it may also result in a decrease in the biodegradation potential of PCL. Hence, the final properties of blend fibers depend on the nature of the blend components and their interfacial compatibility [31,201].…”

“…It was demonstrated that the blend obtained from precipitated material exhibited good processability, while granulate material or powder mixtures were not suitable for spinning due to phase separation phenomena [211]. Additionally, Huang et al [202] performed the blending of PCL with PLA using electron-induced reactive processing, followed by fiber production through piston spinning. The modified PLA/PCL blends exhibited improved melt strength and elastic behavior, attributed to the formation of long chain branches and enhanced chain entanglements.…”

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Polylactic Acid/Tetrapod-Zinc Oxide Whisker Composite Films with Antibacterial Properties

“…However, PLA has some drawbacks, such as low mechanical strength and thermal stability which could limit its properties [ 5 ]. One of the most effective methods to enhance the properties of the PLA is to blend with other flexible polymer materials such as polycaprolactone [ 8 ], poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) [ 9 ], and PBAT [ 10 ]. PBAT composed of butanediol, adipic acid, and terephthalic acid is an ideal candidate to blend with PLA and enhance its impact strength and elongation properties due to its flexibility [ 10 ].…”