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A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size
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Polylactic Acid/Polycaprolactone Blends: On the Path to Circular Economy, Substituting Single-Use Commodity Plastic
Marc Delgado-Aguilar1,2, Rita Puig1, Ilija Sazdovski2
1ABBU Research Group, Department of Computer Science and Industrial Engineering, Universitat de Lleida (UdL), Pla de la Massa 8, 08700 Igualada, Spain.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 14, 2020
Summary
Developing polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) blends offers a strong, eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastics. These biodegradable materials show promising mechanical properties for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Sustainable Materials
Background:
- Linear economies generate significant waste, driving the need for sustainable alternatives.
- Circular economy principles emphasize renewable resources and biodegradable products.
- Oil-based commodity plastics pose environmental challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) blends.
- To evaluate these blends as potential substitutes for conventional oil-based plastics.
- To investigate the mechanical properties of PLA/PCL blends.
Main Methods:
- Compounding PLA and PCL in a batch and lab-scale internal mixer.
- Processing the blends using injection molding.
- Testing tensile and impact characteristics of the blends.
Main Results:
- PLA/PCL blends exhibited tensile strength from 18.25 to 63.13 MPa and Young's modulus from 0.56 to 3.82 GPa.
- Incorporating PCL significantly improved PLA's toughness and impact strength.
- Blends with over 20 wt% PCL showed no breakage in unnotched impact tests.
Conclusions:
- PLA/PCL blends demonstrate enhanced mechanical properties compared to neat PLA.
- These biodegradable blends present a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based commodity plastics.
- The study supports the development of sustainable materials within a circular economy framework.
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