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

Abstract

Microbeads (MBs) are essential materials for cosmetic and healthcare applications. However, environmental pollution has recently emerged as a concern due to the non-degradability and adsorption property of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in environmental conditions, particularly in the marine environment. Therefore, the development of biodegradable MBs via eco-friendly methods is urgently demanded. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable and melt-processable aliphatic polyester which can be obtained from raw materials in nature. In this study, the high molecular weight PLA was pre-treated by electron beam (E-beam) irradiation in order to adjust the melt viscosity. Subsequently, the PLA MBs were prepared by varying the processing parameters via an eco-friendly melt electrospraying process. During the time, the PLA MBs showed bulk degradation which lead to decrement of the residual weight, thermal and structural stability. On the other hand, the crystallinity of PLA MBs was significantly increased due to the degradation of amorphous region. Furthermore, the PLA MBs showed poor POPs adsorption behavior compare with the commercial MBs because of low specific surface area. From these results, the PLA MBs via green method have a great potential to replace the non-degradable MBs in cosmetics.