Polylactic acid with improved heat deflection temperatures and self-healing properties for durable goods applications

A method to recover fracture toughness after failure and increase thermal properties of polylactic acid (PLA) for use within durable goods applications is presented. Microcapsules were incorporated into PLA to form a composite material in which the microcapsules served the dual purpose of (1) releasing self-healing additives to fracture regions and (2) serving as nucleating agents to improve the PLA composite's thermal tolerance. Self-healing was achieved though embedment of dicyclopentadiene-filled microcapsules and Grubbs' first generation ruthenium metathesis catalyst, the former being autonomically released into damage volumes and undergoing polymerization in the presence of the catalyst. This approach led to up to 84% recovery of the polymer composite's initial fracture toughness. Additionally, PLA's degree of crystallinity and heat deflection temperature were improved by ∼ 11% and ∼ 21 °C, respectively, relative to nonfilled virgin PLA, owing to microcapsule-induced nucleation. The self-healing system developed here overcomes many property limitations of PLA that can potentially lead to its incorporation into various durable goods.