Biodegradable fibers from poly (lactic acid)/poly (butylene succinate) blends

Abstract

PLA and PBS have more attention from many industries including textiles industry because there are biopolymer, which have eco-friendly. This research aims at fabricating biodegradable fibers from poly (lactic acid) (PLA) blended with poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). PLA and PBS were blended in a twin-screw extruder at various PBS contents 0 to 20 wt%. The blended fibers were then prepared by the melt spinning using a multifilament spinneret. The mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties were characterized by tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that, at PBS content in PLA of 10 wt%, the obtained fiber has the optimal tensile properties. At this ratio, the blends also possesses the highest crystallinity among the blended fibers. Although these two biodegradable polymers are immiscible, but at the optimal ratio the PBS phase is well-dispersed in the PLA matrix phase.