Fabrication of green composite fibers from ground tea leaves and poly(lactic acid) as eco‑friendly textiles with antibacterial property

摘要

This work aims to prepare bio-based polymer composite fiber using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and ground tea leaves (GTL) as a matrix and bio-based filler, respectively, via the melt-spinning process. The masterbatch obtained from PLA and GTL, with a mass ratio of 90:10, was varied as 0-20 phr, for mixing with PLA to prepare the green composite fibers. The fibers were then characterized using a SEM, UTM and DSC technique. The composite fibers showed a slightly rough surface in their cross-section. Tensile strength and elongation at break of the composite fibers were found to be the highest for the fiber prepared by adding 5 phr masterbatch. This is consistent with the good dispersion of GTL particles in the PLA matrix. The thermal properties of the composite fibers did not significantly change with an increasing amount of GTL. The dye removal properties of the composite fibers showed that the removal efficiency of methylene blue dye was more than reactive blue-19 dye after 24 h under room temperature conditions. By the knitting fabric manufacturing process, the obtained green composite fibers with the best mechanical properties were used as an eco-friendly textile to make fabrics with the antimicrobial property.