Plasticized PLA Nanocomposites

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project will develop plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites. PLA is a biopolymer derived from corn that is stiff at room temperature, but that can be made more flexible by adding significant amounts of plasticizers. Plasticizers are small, often volatile molecules that are incorporated, but not bound, into polymers to make them softer. These plasticizers can migrate out of PLA, forming a sticky layer on the surface and leaving the plastic hard and brittle. Technology that could both reduce the amount of plasticizer necessary to lower the glass transition temperature and to prevent the plasticizer from leaching out of the polymer would create large new market opportunities for PLA. This Phase I project proposes to increase the permanence of plasticizers by incorporating nanoparticle-anchored plasticizers into PLA. Anchored plasticizers would not be volatile, and extraction and migration should be significantly lower. The anchored plasticizer will still affect the glassy to rubbery transition of the host material, and yet the permanence of the plasticizer will be substantially increased. The commercial applications of this project will be in a number of consumer use markets that rely on petroleum as the starting material. They include flexible plastic films, bags, and toys. Flexible PLA also has the potential to replace commodity thermoplastics like polyolefins and PVC in specific applications.