A Biodegradable Stereo-Complexed Poly (Lactic Acid) Drinking Straw of High Heat Resistance and Performance

Current biodegradable drinking straws suffer from poor heat resistance and rigidity when wet, causing user dissatisfaction. Here, a fully biodegradable straw formed by stereocomplexation of poly (lactic acid) (SC-PLA) is reported. Because of the unique strong interaction and high density of link chains between stereocomplex crystallites (over 70% crystallinity), SC-PLA straws outperform their counterparts on the market. This coupled with the advantages of simple processing (solution casting and annealing) and relatively low cost (similar to 2.06 cents per straw) makes SC-PLA drinking straws a superior substitute for plastic ones. Commercially available PLLA straws lose almost 60% of their flexural strength when wet compared to less than 5% of the SC-PLA straws proposed in this study.

Automated summary

A fully biodegradable straw formed by stereocomplexation of poly (lactic acid) (SC-PLA) is reported, which outperforms its counterparts on the market due to the unique strong interaction and high density of link chains between stereocomplex crystallites. SC-PLA straws offer the advantages of simple processing and relatively low cost, making them a superior substitute for plastic ones. The proposed SC-PLA straws lose less than 5% of their flexural strength when wet, while commercially available PLLA straws lose almost 60%.