Fabrication of Polylactic Acid-Modified Carbon Black Composites into Improvement of Levelness and Mechanical Properties of Spun-Dyeing Polylactic Acid Composites Membrane

This work presents an approach for the fabrication of polylactic acid-modified carbon black composites (PLA-g-KH560/CB composites pigment), followed by preparing PLA composites membranes with excellent color and mechanical properties by a blending process. The resultant PLA-g-KH560/CB composites pigment was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Upon characterization it was verified that PLA-g-KH560/CB composites were individually dispersed with a mean particle size of 235 nm. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetry confirmed that molecular PLA was grafted onto CB pigment surface. Typically, surface energies of CB pigment were changed by grafting molecular PLA on its surface to improve the compatibility with PLA matrix. In contrast to original CB, properties of PLA composites membranes such as levelness, crystallinity, and mechanical properties improved with the additional PLA-g-KH560/CB composites pigments, implying that a proper modified approach was required in spun dyeing of PLA fiber.