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Review

Foaming of PLA Composites by Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Processes: A Review

1
Polymers Composites and Hybrids (PCH), IMT Mines Ales, 30100 Ales, France
2
Centre RAPSODEE, IMT Mines Albi, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 81013 Albi, France
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
IMT Mines Ales is member of the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE).
Academic Editor: Stefano Cardea
Molecules 2020, 25(15), 3408; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153408
Received: 29 June 2020 / Revised: 21 July 2020 / Accepted: 22 July 2020 / Published: 28 July 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing of Materials by Supercritical Fluids)
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a well-known and commercially available biopolymer that can be produced from different sources. Its different characteristics generated a great deal of interest in various industrial fields. Besides, its use as a polymer matrix for foam production has increased in recent years. With the rise of technologies that seek to reduce the negative environmental impact of processes, chemical foaming agents are being substituted by physical agents, primarily supercritical fluids (SCFs). Currently, the mass production of low-density PLA foams with a uniform cell morphology using SCFs as blowing agents is a challenge. This is mainly due to the low melt strength of PLA and its slow crystallization kinetics. Among the different options to improve the PLA characteristics, compounding it with different types of fillers has great potential. This strategy does not only have foaming advantages, but can also improve the performances of the final composites, regardless of the implemented foaming process, i.e., batch, injection molding, and extrusion. In addition, the operating conditions and the characteristics of the fillers, such as their size, shape factor, and surface chemistry, play an important role in the final foam morphology. This article proposes a critical review on the different SCF-assisted processes and effects of operating conditions and fillers on foaming of PLA composites. View Full-Text
Keywords: polylactic acid; biocomposite; nanocomposite; supercritical fluid; foaming polylactic acid; biocomposite; nanocomposite; supercritical fluid; foaming
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MDPI and ACS Style

Villamil Jiménez, J.A.; Le Moigne, N.; Bénézet, J.-C.; Sauceau, M.; Sescousse, R.; Fages, J. Foaming of PLA Composites by Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Processes: A Review. Molecules 2020, 25, 3408. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153408

AMA Style

Villamil Jiménez JA, Le Moigne N, Bénézet J-C, Sauceau M, Sescousse R, Fages J. Foaming of PLA Composites by Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Processes: A Review. Molecules. 2020; 25(15):3408. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153408

Chicago/Turabian Style

Villamil Jiménez, Jennifer A., Nicolas Le Moigne, Jean-Charles Bénézet, Martial Sauceau, Romain Sescousse, and Jacques Fages. 2020. "Foaming of PLA Composites by Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Processes: A Review" Molecules 25, no. 15: 3408. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153408

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