Polylactic acid: green polymer material
There is a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group in a single lactic acid molecule, multiple lactic acid molecules together, -OH dehydration condensation with -COOH of other molecules, -COOH dehydration condensation with -OH of other molecules; in this way, they form to hand in hand The polymer is called polylactic acid. Polylactic acid, also known as polylactide, belongs to the family of polyesters.
The reason why polylactic acid can be degraded
Polylactic acid is a polymer obtained by polymerizing lactic acid as the main raw material. The raw material is starch extracted from some plants, such as corn, wheat, and cassava, and the raw material can be regenerated. The production process of polylactic acid is non-polluting, and the product can be biodegraded. The product is enzymatically hydrolyzed in the organism and finally decomposed into water and carbon dioxide. It does not pollute the environment and can be recycled in nature. Therefore, it is an ideal green polymer material.
Application fields of polylactic acid
Polylactic acid is a kind of aliphatic polyester which has excellent biodegradability and mechanical properties and is regarded as the first substitute for traditional plastics in the industry. In addition, polylactic acid has the characteristics of biocompatibility and can be used as an Implant material can also be used as, biomedical material, etc. The sources of raw materials for production are wide, mainly plant starch, so it is of great significance to study the development of the polylactic acid industry.
Medical Field - Sutures
At present, the repair and use of blood vessels, skin, ligaments, and other tissues are being studied at home and abroad. As a surgical suture, PLA can automatically degrade after the wound heals without removing the suture. It has been widely favored by the medical community and has been widely used in various operations. PLA surgical sutures have strong tensile strength and can effectively control the degradation rate of polymers. As the wound heals, the sutures will automatically and slowly degrade. At present, many large hospitals in China are widely using excellent PLA sutures imported from abroad.
Packaging material--packaging bag
Polylactic acid can be used as a film. The polylactic acid film includes biaxially stretched film, salivation film, and shrink film, which can be used in various packaging bags, outer candy packaging, various composite processing films, envelope films, various card films, etc. Currently, in most parts of Europe, Polylactic acid packaging bags have been widely used, which can meet the requirements of human beings to protect the environment and reduce the harm of white pollution to the human environment.
Fiber Products--Woven Products
Polylactic acid fiber is also a fiber that has a protective function for the environment. The fabric made of polylactic acid is very soft, better than ordinary fabrics. It has silk-like luster and good hand feeling, and people will feel very comfortable when wearing it. The knitted fabric made of the polylactic acid fiber itself has good sagging characteristics, smooth characteristics, water absorption characteristics, breathable characteristics, etc. At the same time, polylactic acid fiber itself has excellent water diffusivity. If it is blended with cotton, it can produce Clothing with outstanding sweat-absorbing performance, can maintain good shape, and has good anti-wrinkle characteristics.
Prospects and Prospects of Polylactic Acid
As a new type of medical and biodegradable plastic, PLA has broad market prospects in my country. The synthesis of straight-chain aliphatic polyester from PLA is the most important degradable polymer material in the medical field. It has been paid more and more attention to, and the development of my country's PLA industry has become more and more important. The replacement of existing degradable materials with PLA resin has become an inevitable trend of market development. It has the ability to compete with olefin polymers, and the market prospect of "green ecological plastics" will be very promising.
