Recent Advances in the Investigation of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) Nanocomposites: Incorporation of Various Nanofillers and their Properties and Applications

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is considered the most promising biobased substitute for fossil-derived polymers due to its compostability, biocompatibility, renewability, and good thermomechanical properties. However, PLA suffers from several shortcomings, such as low heat distortion temperature, thermal resistance, and rate of crystallization, whereas some other specific properties, i.e., flame retardancy, anti-UV, antibacterial or barrier properties, antistatic to conductive electrical characteristics, etc., are required by different end-use sectors. The addition of different nanofillers represents an attractive way to develop and enhance the properties of neat PLA. Numerous nanofillers with different architectures and properties have been investigated, with satisfactory achievements, in the design of PLA nanocomposites. This review paper overviews the current advances in the synthetic routes of PLA nanocomposites, the imparted properties of each nano-additive, as well as the numerous applications of PLA nanocomposites in various industrial fields.

Development of active biocomposite films based on poly(lactic acid) and wine by‐product: Effect of grape pomace content and extrusion temperature

“…Furthermore, products from the thermal decomposition of GP such as protons (H + ) from the sugars could promote the break of ester bonds of PLA 37 . Thus, the formation of oligomers and acid lactic molecules through these two main ways could contribute to an autocatalytic degradation of the polymer 38 . Moreover, a possible poor dispersion of GP in the polymer matrix due to the immiscibility of the components could generate interfacial spaces where the heat flow transference was favored, resulting in a more aggressive thermal degradation.…”

“…37 Thus, the formation of oligomers and acid lactic molecules through these two main ways could contribute to an autocatalytic degradation of the polymer. 38 Moreover, a possible poor dispersion of GP in the polymer matrix due to the immiscibility of the components could generate interfacial spaces where the heat flow transference was favored, resulting in a more aggressive thermal degradation. Finally, there was no evidence of changes on the thermal stability of PLA and biocomposite films when they were obtained at different extrusion temperatures.…”

Atomic layer deposition of ZnO on PLA/TiO2 bionanocomposites: Evaluation of surface chemistry and physical properties toward food packaging applications

“…Despite the promising properties of PLA, its exploitation in such applications is restricting due to certain shortcomings, some of which are its poor mechanical and barrier properties and its poor thermal stability. One effective way to overcome these restrictions and enhance its properties is the incorporation of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix 11,12 . As of today, there is a variety of nanomaterials that have been mixed with PLA to obtain bionanocomposite systems, both organic (cellulose nanocrystals, chitosan) and inorganic (graphene oxide, silica, Ag, etc) 13–17 .…”

“…One effective way to overcome these restrictions and enhance its properties is the incorporation of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. 11,12 As of today, there is a variety of nanomaterials that have been mixed with PLA to obtain bionanocomposite systems, both organic (cellulose nanocrystals, chitosan) and inorganic (graphene oxide, silica, Ag, etc). [13][14][15][16][17] Among these nanoinclusions, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), an inert and low-cost inorganic nanomaterial, is a promising candidate for the production of bionanocomposites with improved physical properties compared to PLA.…”

Nano‐hydroxyapatite reinforced polylactic acid bioabsorbable cancellous screws for bone fracture fixations

“…32 In vitro studies performed with PLA/nHAp revealed that cell adhesion and proliferation on the surface of the developed biocomposite support the biocompatible nature. 25,33 Thus, the PLA/nHAp biocomposite and membrane 34,35 is helpful in bone tissue repair.…”