Physical and thermal characterization of polylactic acid meltblown nonwovens

A series of polylactic acid (PLA) nonwovens were prepared by the melt blowing process using micro and nano dies. The nonwovens were characterized for structural, thermal, and mechanical properties. These properties varied with the type of die, airflow, and die to collector distance (DCD). The mean pore size for PLA microfiber ranged between 1.82 and 10.48 micrometers, and nanofiber nonwovens ranged between 452 and 818 nanometers. The tensile modulus and strength of PLA nonwovens increased with airflow at a given DCD, but decreased with increased DCD for a given airflow. Thermograms from calorimetry showed microfiber mats had a larger composition of beta‐form crystals than the nanofiber mats. The results showed that a wide range of nonwovens can easily be generated with properties tailored to the specific application. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40593.