How can bio-based materials become a viable alternative to conventional plastics without compromising durability and performance?
June 25, 2020
We are pleased to announce that the first article by our PhD student, Hadi Saniei, resulting from the Serenade project, has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. The journal is ranked in the first quartile (Q1) and has an impact factor of 10.7.
The article analyzes two manufacturing strategies for producing highly crystalline PLA/talc biocomposite (PLA/talc) parts by injection molding, evaluating not only their mechanical and thermal properties but also their energy consumption and sustainability. The main objective is to identify the most efficient alternative for manufacturing high-performance components while reducing energy consumption during the process.
PLA is one of the bioplastics with the greatest potential to replace petroleum-based polymers due to its renewable origin and biodegradability. However, its slow crystallization rate limits its application in products requiring high thermal and mechanical resistance. To overcome this limitation, the study compares two processing routes:
- Crystallization inside the mold (High Mold Temperature, HM): using a mold temperature of 100 °C to promote crystallization during cooling.
- Crystallization by infrared annealing (Low Mold + IR, LM-IR): initially using a mold at 30 °C to reduce cycle time, followed by a heat treatment using infrared radiation.
The experiments were carried out using a commercial compound consisting of 70% PLA and 29% talc. Parameters such as the degree of crystallinity, mold ejection force, surface roughness, mechanical properties, heat deflection temperature (HDT), and the process’s energy consumption were evaluated.
Would you like to learn about the study’s results? Click here to read the article by our PhD candidate, Hadi Saniei.
