Toughened Polylactic Acid Fibers

• Main Authors: EBY TOM, ZHOU PEIGUANG, MCENEANY RYAN J, TOPOLKARAEV VASILY A, WIDEMAN GREGORY J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.02.2012
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BRAIDING; COTTON-WOOL; CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, ORYARNS; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS,NON-WOVEN FABRICS; KNITTING; LACE-MAKING; MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARYMATERIAL; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; NON-WOVEN FABRICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; TRIMMINGS; WADDING; WARPING OR BEAMING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS

Polylactic acid fibers formed from a thermoplastic composition that contains polylactic acid and a polymeric toughening additive are provided. The present inventors have discovered that the specific nature of the components and process by which they are blended may be carefully controlled to achieve a composition having desirable morphological features. More particularly, the toughening additive can be dispersed as discrete physical domains within a continuous phase of the polylactic acid. These domains have a particular size, shape, and distribution such that upon fiber drawing, they absorb energy and become elongated. This allows the resulting composition to exhibit a more pliable and softer behavior than the otherwise rigid polylactic acid. Through selective control over the components and method employed, the present inventors have discovered that the resulting fibers may thus exhibit good mechanical properties, both during and after melt spinning.