Crystallization, mechanical properties, and enzymatic degradation of biodegradable poly(ε‐caprolactone) composites with poly(lactic acid) fibers

Biodegradable polymer composites based on poly(ɛ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers were prepared by melt compounding. The effects of PLA fibers on the crystallization, mechanical properties, and enzymatic degradation of PCL composites were investigated. The addition of PLA fibers enhanced the crystallization of PCL due to the heterogeneous nucleation effect of fibers. However, the final crystallinity of the PCL in the composites was little changed in the presence of PLA fibers. With the addition of PLA fibers, significant improvement in storage modulus (E′) of PCL in the composites was achieved. A significant increase in E′ was 173% for the composites as compared to that of the neat PCL at 20°C. With the increase in PLA fibers content, the PCL composites showed decreased elongation and strength at break; however, the tensile yield strength and modulus were increased significantly, indicating that PCL was obviously reinforced by adding PLA fibers. Although the PLA fibers retarded the enzymatic degradation of PCL, it was possible to be completely degraded without much degradation time for PCL blending with suitable amounts of PLA fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1745–1752, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers