Investigation on multi-crystallization morphologies and electromagnetic shielding properties of poly(lactic acid)-based composites in salt spray aging: Effects of poly(butylene succinate) interface modifier

Polylactic acid (PLA) and its stereocomplex (sc-PLA) have been applied into 3D printing, food packaging and tissue engineering etc., owing to its good biodegradability and mechanical strength. However, the intrinsic brittleness for PLA specimen inevitably leads to molding difficulties. To achieve easy demolding process and solvent-free molding for the PLA-based composites, an entirely solvent-free powder metallurgy coupled with the annealing strategy was firstly employed in the study. Subsequently, the PLA-based composites added with the polybutylene succinate (PBS) to achieve the good interfacial compatibility were exposed in a salt spray chamber at the temperature of 35 °C to reveal the consecutive aging evolution for their crystallization, mechanical and electromagnetic shielding properties. Moreover, according to the different period of salt spray aging, the surface and interface morphologies, multi-crystallization, mechanical and electromagnetic shielding properties for the PLA-based composites were systematically examined. The results showed that ester exchange between the PLA and PBS molecular chains and SC crystals can control hydrolysis rate to efficiently delay the degradation for PLA-based composites. Interestingly, after salt spray aging of 45 days, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMI) of the PLA-based composite within 5 wt% of MXene and 2.5 wt% of CNTs can generate a slightly enhancement compared with the composite unaged, suggesting that the reorganization of the conductive network along interfaces and grain boundaries via sodium and chloride ions. Thus, the synergistic effect of entirely solvent-free powder metallurgy method and interface modifier will be a novel and feasible reference solution for the demolding challenges associated with PLA. Furtherly, the study also provides an experimental and theoretical basis for understanding the “Performance window engineering” of PLA material in salt spray harsh environments during long period.