Eco-friendly poly(lactic acid) microbeads for cosmetics via melt electrospraying

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Microbeads (MBs) are widely used in cosmetics and healthcare but pose environmental risks due to their persistence and pollutant adsorption.
• Developing biodegradable alternatives is crucial to mitigate marine pollution caused by non-degradable MBs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop eco-friendly, biodegradable microbeads using poly(lactic acid) (PLA).
• To investigate the effects of electron beam pre-treatment and melt electrospraying on PLA microbead properties.
• To evaluate the degradation behavior and pollutant adsorption capacity of the developed PLA microbeads.

Main Methods:

• High molecular weight PLA was pre-treated using electron beam (E-beam) irradiation.
• PLA microbeads were fabricated via an eco-friendly melt electrospraying process with varied parameters.
• Degradation characteristics (weight, thermal, structural stability) and crystallinity were analyzed.
• Persistent organic pollutant (POP) adsorption was compared to commercial microbeads.

Main Results:

• PLA microbeads exhibited bulk degradation, leading to reduced weight, thermal, and structural stability.
• Crystallinity of PLA microbeads increased due to amorphous region degradation.
• The specific surface area was low, resulting in poor POP adsorption compared to commercial microbeads.

Conclusions:

• Eco-friendly PLA microbeads demonstrate significant degradation potential, suggesting they can replace non-degradable options in cosmetics.
• Further optimization is needed to enhance the POP adsorption capacity of these biodegradable microbeads.