Electrospun Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fibers: Effect Natural Rubber Content on Fiber Morphology and Properties

Abstract

Non-woven polylactide-natural rubber fiber materials with a rubber content of 5, 10 and 15 wt.% were obtained by electrospinning. The thermal, dynamic, and mechanical properties of the fibers were determined. It was shown that the average fiber diameter increased with adding of the NR content, while the linear and surface densities changed slightly. Using the differential scanning calorimetry, the thermal characteristics were obtained. It was found that the glass transition temperature of polylactide increased by 2–5 °C, and the melting temperature increased by 2–4 °C in the presence of natural rubber in the samples. By the method of electronic paramagnetic resonance at T = 50 and 70 °C it was determined that the mobility of the amorphous phase in PLA/NR fibers increased with the addition of NR. The adding of NR at a content of 15 wt.% increased the value of elongation at break by 3.5 times compared to pure PLA.

Thermal Properties and Dynamic Characteristics of Electrospun Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fibers during Disintegration in Soil

“…When NR was added to the PLA matrix, the morphology of the non-woven fibers changes. This fact is studied and discussed in papers [15,28,30]. For example, Figure 1 show non-woven materials made of pure PLA and PLA/NR with an NR content of 15 wt.%.…”

“…The appearance of all samples did not vary, but SEM micrographs show diversity in the fiber morphology. Due to the difference in viscosity of PLA and NR, the rapid evaporation of the solvent and the nonequilibrium state of the polymer system, a bead morphology was observed during electrospinning [15].…”

“…The thermophysical characteristics of non-woven PLA and PLA/NR fibers were determined by the DSC method before and after degradation in the soil for 60 and 220 days (Figure 3 and Table 1). Features of the PLA/NR fibers' structure were discussed in detail in [15]. Table 1.…”

“…It is known that rubber particles behave as stress concentrators, absorbing the fracture energy of brittle PLA and this results in a material with improved toughness [13,14]. In addition, it increases the elasticity of composites and the macromolecular mobility of the thermoplastics-elastomer system [15].…”

Effect of UV-Irradiation and Ozone Exposure on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of PLA/LDPE Films

“…A semi-crystalline PLA is preferable to an amorphous polymer when higher mechanical properties are required. In turn, it is worth noting that the main feature of the PLA is strength and toughness, and the development of mixed materials based on polymers that differ in their mechanical characteristics is relevant, since it is possible to create a material with specified properties [1][2][3][4].…”