Toward Green Hybrid Materials: Core-Shell Particles with Enhanced Impact Energy Absorbing Ability

Restrained properties of green degradable products drive the creation of materials with innovative structures and retained eco-attributes. Herein, we introduce the creation of impact modifiers in the form of core-shell (CS) particles toward the creation of green composite materials. Particles with CS structure constituted of PLA stereocomplex (PLASC) and a rubbery phase of poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-D,L-lactide) (P[CL-co-LA]) were successfully achieved by spray droplet atomization. A synergistic association of the soft P[CL-co-LA] and hard PLASC domains in the core-shell structure induced unique thermo-mechanical effects on the PLA-based composites. The core-shell particles enhanced the crystallization of PLA matrices by acting as nucleating agents. The core-shell particles functioned efficiently as impact modifiers with minimal effect on the composites stiffness and strength. These findings provide a new platform for scalable design of polymeric-based structures to be used in the creation of advanced degradable materials.