Mechanical and Morphological Perspectives on PLA-Based Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPVs): A Brief Review

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) brings intriguing prospects to the realm of biodegradable polymers through environmental sustainability, processing, and affordability. However, the widespread use of PLA remains full of challenges mostly because of its brittleness and poor mechanical properties. This review highlighted recent studies on improving PLA brittleness by adding different elastomeric systems and using different crosslinking systems in order to improve the mechanical properties, enhance the interfacial interactions, and stabilize the micromorphology of PLA systems as an effective, promising strategy to mitigate intrinsic PLA problems. Looking at the different microstructures required to achieve better performance, an insightful discussion on the developed morphology between PLA and high-elastic materials is featured along with reviewing primary mechanical concepts. It concludes with an outlook for static and dynamic vulcanization systems with a perspective of biodegradable PLA and draws attention to the new possibilities that crosslinked PLA can offer.