Crystallization Behavior and Kinetic of Polylactide via Heterogeneous Nucleation and Plasticization Processes

Abstract

Polylactide (PLA), one of well-known biodegradable materials, is used to replace the conventional plastics which can not be degraded and lead to environmental concerns about waste accumulation. PLA is a thermoplastic polyester that can be synthesized from renewable resources. The outstanding advantages of PLA are high mechanical strength, transparency, easy processability. However, its drawbacks are brittleness, low crystallinity and slow crystallization rate, which limit wider applications, especially in packaging industry. Therefore, crystallization behaviors of PLA are studied to control and improve crystallinity and crystallization rate leading to appropriate properties in each application. This article reviews the current researches and informs the basic knowledge in terms of crystallization factors, types of nucleating agent and plasticizer, nucleation and plasticization processes, including synergistic combination of nucleation and plasticization, affecting to kinetic and crystallization behaviors of PLA.