Polylactide fibres: Fabrication, properties, use, prospects. a review

The analysis of data on the fabrication, structure, and properties of polylactide and polylactide fibres will allow drawing a conclusion concerning the promise of using them for production of high-quality textiles and articles for domestic, medical, sanitary-hygienic, and industrial applications. The existence of a renewable raw material base (plant stock), the use of biotechnology for fabrication of the monomer (lactic acid and its dilactide), and the simple technology for fabrication and melt spinning of the polymer show that production of these fibres will be economically feasible. Manufacture of these fibres does not involve complicated environmental problems due to the nontoxicity of the initial, intermediate, and finished products, and the possibility of recycling and biodegradation in the environment. As oil, coal, and gas deposits are being exhausted, polylactide fibres could become a promising large-tonnage variety of fibre. In this respect, it is necessary to develop comprehensive research to create optimum processes for production of lactic acid, of polylactide, and polylactide fibres in Russia and to create industrial plants. With a wide spectrum applications, polylactide fibres can be considered to be at the same level as other chemical fibres. They will not directly compete with existing chemical fibres, although they can be successfully used in place of or combined with them in many cases. At the same time, they have their own niche because of their specific properties.