Research on PLA Modification

Polylactic acid is a non-toxic, non-irritating synthetic polymer material. Its raw material is lactic acid, which is mainly derived from the fermentation of starch (such as corn, rice, etc.). It can also be obtained from cellulose, kitchen garbage or fish waste. PLA has a wide range of raw materials, and the products made from it can be directly composted or incinerated after use, and finally can be completely degraded into CO₂and H₂O, meeting the requirements of sustainable development.The good transparency and certain toughness, biocompatibility and heat resistance of PLA are the main reasons why it is widely used. In addition, PLA has thermoplastic properties and can be used in many fields. Products prepared with it, such as packaging materials, fibers, etc., are mainly used for disposable products (disposable tableware and packaging materials, etc.), automobiles (doors, mats, and seats Etc.), clothing, electrical appliances (computer casings and mobile phone parts, etc.) and medical and health (orthopedic internal fixation materials and non-dismantling surgical sutures, etc.). However, the heat distortion temperature (HDT) of industrially produced PLA products is only about 58°C, which greatly limits their application areas.

In order to meet the use requirements of some products (such as food containers, home appliances, electronics, auto parts, etc.), researchers have done a series of research work on improving the performance of PLA.