issue 05/2021

The steadily growing demand from the industry for
sustainable solutions underscores the importance
of developing biobased high-performance materials.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the particularly promising
biobased candidates already established in the packaging
segment. The global market for this polymer is growing
by around 10 % annually. PLA is also used as a matrix in
fibre-reinforced composites. Here, reinforcing fibres are
embedded in a matrix in order to improve the mechanical
performance of the materials.
Researcher at Fraunhofer IAP are currently working
on the development of a composite material for technical
applications in which both the fibres and the plastic matrix
consist entirely of PLA. The resulting self-reinforced singlecomponent
composite promises great advantages due
to the chemical identity of the fibres and the matrix, as
complex separation steps are not required during recycling.
In order to incorporate the reinforcing fibres into a molten
PLA matrix, the research team is developing a melt spinning
process for the production of more thermally stable
stereocomplex PLA (sc-PLA) fibres. These have a special
crystal structure with a melting point of approximately 230 °C,
which is about 50–60 degrees higher than in the case of
conventional PLA. This improvement of thermal properties
obviously expands the field of possible applications for PLAbased
materials.
Within a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Food
and Agriculture, Fraunhofer IAP is working together with
partners from industry to transfer the developed process
to industrial scale. Partner in the field of fibre development
is the company Trevira (Guben Germany), a manufacturer
Self-reinforced
PLA based on
stereocomplex
fibres
of fibres and filament yarn specialties. Furthermore,
the development of sc-PLA flat films is planned. The
adhesive tape manufacturer Tesa (Norderstedt, Germany)
is participating in this task and will verify the suitability of
sc-PLA films as adhesive foils. In a third work package, the
Fraunhofer IAP will perform double pultrusion experiments
to produce sc-PLA-fibre-reinforced resin, which can be
processed by injection moulding.
The automotive and textile industries are already showing
interest in biobased materials, which are also easier to
recycle. In terms of price and availability, PLA would already
be competitive here. Now the material is also to be made
technically fit for the new tasks.
The research project (funding code 2220NR297X) started
on June 2021 and is scheduled to run for 2.5 years.
https://www.tesa.com | https://www.trevira.de |
https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/
By:
Evgueni Tarkhanov
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP
Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16 37