Effect of Physical Aging on Heterogeneity of Poly(ε-caprolactone) Toughening Poly(lactic acid) Probed by Nanomechanical Mapping

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a promising bio-based environmentally-friendly plastic. Nevertheless, the physical aging-induced brittleness of PLA limits its widespread applications. Blending with immiscible ductile polymer is an effective way to toughen PLA. However, the underlying details of the toughening mechanism and, in particular, the effect of physical aging are not well understood. Herein, atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomechanical mapping technology was utilized to visualize the differences in the deformation mechanisms between unaged and aged PLA/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) blend upon uniaxial drawing. Results show that physical aging has a significant effect on the microscopic Young's modulus and its distribution of PLA matrix, resulting in a highly heterogeneous response of the PLA/PCL blend to external stress and affecting the mechanical properties of the PLA phase under different extensions. This work provides a new experimental basis for understanding the effect of physical aging on the mechanical properties of PLA-based materials.