A review on characteristic variation in PLA material with a combination of various nano composites

Abstract

In search of environmental friendly polymers, poly lactic acid (PLA) emerged as a best alternate to various chemical based polymers. It’s unique characteristics like degradability, eco-friendly, regenerative, easily available, versatile, biocompatibility and having good thermo mechanical properties. At the initial stage of PLA its applications are confined to biomedical sector and within a short period, its applications are widened and used such as packaging materials and especially used where ever the biodegradable properties required. Exhaustion of fossil resources is the world biggest problem, which is the major resource for the process of traditional polymers, in this scenario PLAs are exposed as alternative valuable biopolymer in the field of automation and mechatronics. However, to satisfy the requirements in its wide emerging scope of applications, the pure form of PLAs are facing some drawbacks, as its brittleness, slow rate of degradation, and delicacy, gas permeability, low thermal resistance and rate of crystallization. The negative performance of PLAs can be improved with blending of PLA with other polymers and another way is reinforcement of nanoparticles in to PLA matrix. Economic way of improving the properties is that blending of PLA with other polymers like ABS, Polypropline (PP),Polystyrene(PS) and incorporations of various nano particles such as TiO2, SiO2 etc. This article mainly focuses on the major developments and researches in PLA-based composites during the last decades.