Properties of non-woven polylactic acid fibers prepared by the rotational jet spinning method

Abstract

The preparation of non-woven polylactic acid (PLA) fibers was carried out by the rotational jet spinning method. The polymers were melted in a heat chamber and centrifuged with a high speed to obtain the fibers with the high productivity. The viscosity of polymers was an important factor for the quality and quantity of the non-woven fiber. In this work, a commercial grade and synthesized PLA were used to prepare the non-woven fiber. The non-woven PLA fibers were produced at different temperatures of 190–230 °C with rotational speed between 650 and 2800 rpm. The morphology of non-woven PLA was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of temperature was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The non-woven PLA had a smooth surface along the fibers. The result showed that as the temperature or rotational speed increased, the fiber diameter was decreased. The fiber diameters of PLA 3052D, L130, and synthesized PLA (at 650 rpm) decreased to 40%, 40%, and 24%, respectively, when increasing the temperature. The high temperature in the process led to generate the beads. The fiber diameter of PLA 3052D, L130, and synthesized PLA (at 190 °C) decreased to 66%, 23%, and 56%, respectively, with the higher rotational speed. Tonset of TGA showed that the thermal degradation of PLA fibers was reduced compared with PLA resin, but it was still considered to be insignificant after spinning. The wettability of the samples was determined by the mean of the water evaporation. The results showed that the weight of the water in the sample decreased rapidly compared with control cotton, indicating more hydrophobic nature of the fibers obtained at the high rotational speed and temperature.