The Effect of Stabilization Conditions on Fibers from Polylactic Acid and Their Properties
In this work, we investigated the influence of stabilization on polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. Biodegradable plastics have a significantly lower environmental impact because they are produced from renewable resources and can break down through the action of microorganisms. Considering the issues of p...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Fibers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6439/13/4/44 |
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| Summary: | In this work, we investigated the influence of stabilization on polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. Biodegradable plastics have a significantly lower environmental impact because they are produced from renewable resources and can break down through the action of microorganisms. Considering the issues of polymer waste production and accumulation, PLA, being a biodegradable material derived from renewable sources, represents a promising solution for the future. Nowadays, several studies on PLA evaluate its properties for various applications. However, we focused on improving the user properties of PLA fibers. Different thermal stabilization processes simulate the use of PLA fibers and their impact on the behavior and properties of PLA fibers exposed to these conditions. The thermal behavior of PLA fibers (the melting temperatures, the crystallization temperatures, and enthalpies), mechanical (tenacity and elongation at the break, Young’s modulus), and thermomechanical (the shrinkage and the temperature of first distortion) properties of PLA fibers have been investigated in detail. Our research results show that the PLA fibers can achieve better properties (as mechanical and dimensional) by stabilization. It is about the dimensional stability of the fibers for applications such as knitting and weaving. Under the monitored stabilization conditions, shrinkage was reduced (especially at higher stabilized temperatures above 85 °C), which can improve the next process of textile processing (knitting and weaving). Thermal stabilization after drawing is one possibility. The stabilization conditions will depend on the potential use of the PLA fibers. |
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| ISSN: | 2079-6439 |