Polylactic acid (PLA) is a synthetic biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester polymer material. Its main raw materials are derived from natural materials such as corn. It is environmentally friendly, has good plasticity, and is easy to process and shape. It has broad research and application prospects, especially in the field of 3D printing.
Characteristics of polylactic acid:
1. Polylactic acid has good solvent resistance and can be processed in a variety of ways;
2. Polylactic acid has good mechanical properties and physical properties;
3. Polylactic acid has good compatibility and degradability;
4. Polylactic acid has the best tensile strength and ductility;
5. Polylactic acid has good gloss and transparency.
Some researchers have developed flame-retardant PLA composite materials with excellent mechanical properties. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have unique tubular nanostructures and a series of excellent physical and chemical properties derived from them, making them one of the hot research materials for increasing the strength, toughness and thermal stability of polymers. However, HNTs, like candle wicks, can produce flow diversion and accelerate polymer burning, limiting their application in many cutting-edge protective fields.
Inspired by the rough pores of wood, the researchers based on the design concepts of gas phase flame retardancy and condensed phase flame retardancy, combined with self-assembly technology, made biomass-based nanosheets PA-NA-Fe grow on the internal and external surfaces of HNTs.
Then, biomimetic HNTs (b-HNTs) with excellent comprehensive properties were prepared. Compared with the original HNTs, b-HNTs are more dispersible and more compatible with polymers, effectively improving the polymer's various mechanical properties, thermal oxygen stability and fire safety. Researchers have solved the key scientific problems of HNTs, improved the performance of HNTs and expanded the application scope; they have broken through the limitations of traditional functional fillers that cannot take into account mechanics and fire protection, and achieved simultaneous improvements in polymer mechanical properties and fire safety. The proposed simple, environmentally friendly, and efficient biomimetic modification strategy has certain versatility and can provide a reference for the design of other high-performance nanomaterials.
HNTs enhance interfacial compatibility and impart diverse properties to PLA biopolymer. This carefully designed PLA nanocomposite achieves excellent mechanical properties (tensile, thermomechanical and impact mechanical properties), excellent fire safety (heat release and smoke exhaust), thermal stability and improved electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness.
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Reference
- Bio-inspired surface manipulation of halloysite nanotubes for high-performance flame retardant polylactic acid nanocomposites
Nano Research
