Characterization of PLA Sheets Prepared by Stretching under Different Conditions: Influence of Reprocessing and Establishing Optimal Conditions

Polylactide (PLA) is one of the most commonly used biomaterials nowadays, with many recognized benefits, particularly in the packaging and single-use products industries. However, little research has been conducted on its stretching behavior. This work investigates the optimal conditions of biaxial stretching of injection-molded PLA samples produced under different processing conditions (pressure, drying, and pre-processing by extrusion, to simulate a recycling step). The injection-molded samples were characterized to determine their mechanical, thermal and thermo-mechanical behavior, water absorption, thermal behavior, and crystallization kinetics. The extruded samples showed reduced thermal stability, lower viscosity, decreased mechanical properties, and higher crystallization rates due to thermal degradation. However, the stretched samples provided similar properties regardless of the materials pre-processing. Regarding the assessment of the biaxial stretching process, processing at lower temperatures provides the films with a higher yield and breaking strength, while the time and strain rates have little influence on such properties. It was then determined that 82 °C is the optimal temperature for stretching the PLA samples. An increase in the stretch ratio provided a higher elastic modulus and higher values of opacity due to an increased crystallinity induced by stress during the process. Films as thin as 50 μm can be obtained by biaxially stretching injection-molded preforms, producing a deformation over 150% and acquiring good mechanical properties: about 90 MPa for the yield and a breaking strength and elastic modulus of 4000 MPa.