Preparation of Glass Fabric/Poly(l-lactide) Composites by Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding

This study reports the first example of the production of polylactide composites prepared by Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding (T-RTM) via in situ bulk polymerization of l-lactide (l-LA) after injection in a closed mold containing glass fabrics. Tin octoate Sn(Oct)₂ was used as the catalyst and first evaluated at the lab-scale in the experimental conditions required in the tank and in the mold of the RTM device. The reactions were then upscaled in the RTM in the absence of reinforcement to ensure the feasibility of the process (transfer and polymerization). Finally, poly-l-lactide (PLLA)-based composites with glass fabrics as the reinforcement were obtained. The resulting PLLA matrices exhibited conversions up to 99% along with high molar masses of up to 78,000 g·mol^-1 when the polymerization was carried out under dynamic vacuum (vacuum-assisted RTM, VARTM). Moreover, a good impregnation of the glass fabrics by the matrix was observed by optical microscopy.