High tensile performance of PLA fiber-reinforced PCL composite via a synergistic process of strain and crystallization

Abstract

Poly (lacticacid) (PLA) fiber-reinforced poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) composite is used in a broad variety of biocompatible and biodegradable materials, while phase separation remains an obstacle to mechanical performance. In this work, the PLA fiber-reinforced PCL composite membranes were prepared by multi-spinneret blended electrospinning, followed various synergistic processes of strain and melt-recrystallization. In the composite, the micro-scaled electrospun PLA fibers, which accomplished glass transition and partial crystallization during the annealing processing, profoundly reinforce the PCL matrix. The orientation and crystallinity of PLA fibers as well as the interfacial bond are improved by the manipulations of strain and supercooling during the crystallization of PCL domains in the composite. As a result, the tensile performance of the composite is greatly improved, which exhibits a modulus of 6.146 GPa and strength of 32.85 MPa, respectively, achieving a high level of strength among the PCL/PLA composites. This work offers a new approach to the preparation of PLA fiber-reinforced PCL composites with outstanding tensile performances.