Application of CO2-Assisted Polymer Compression to Polylactic Acid and the Relationship between Crystallinity and Plasticization

CO2-assisted polymer compression (CAPC) is an environmentally friendly processing method that uses CO2 to plasticize and crimp polymer fibers at room temperature, enabling low-energy processing within a short time. In this study, CAPC was applied to polylactic acid (PLA), a carbon-neutral polymer. To evaluate the relationships between CO2 plasticization and the crystallinity degree and plasticization of PLA, samples with different degrees of crystallinity were layered and simultaneously compressed to observe the most collapsed layer. The sample with lower crystallinity exhibited better crushing and higher plasticization than the crystallized samples. The PLA with high crystallinity developed cracks on the fiber surfaces with consequent loss of strength. Based on the results, CAPC is a potentially effective method for PLA with low crystallinity.