Polylactide (PLA)-based nanocomposites

In the framework of environmentally friendly processes and products, polylactide (PLA) represents the best polymeric substitutes for various petropolymers because of its renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility and good thermomechanical properties. Initially, most of its applications concerned biomedical sector and short-time uses such as packaging, particularly for the biodegradable properties of PLA. Interestingly, due to the depletion of petroleum resources, PLA is now viewing more and more as a valuable biosourced polymer alternative in long-term applications such as automotive and electronics. However, for such applications, PLA suffers from some shortcomings such as low thermal resistance, heat distortion temperature and rate of crystallization, whereas some other specific properties are required by different end-use sectors (flame retardancy, antistatic to conductive electrical characteristics, anti-UV, antibacterial or barrier properties, etc.). Therefore, adding nanofillers represents an interesting way to extend and to improve the properties of PLA. There are many nanofillers (three-dimensional spherical and polyhedral, two-dimensional nanofibers or one-dimensional sheet-like nanoparticles) that have been studied, with satisfactory achievements, in the design of PLA nanocomposites. This review hence highlights the main researches and developments in PLA-based nanocomposites during this last decade. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.