The Impact of Micro-Nanoparticles on Morphology, Thermal, Barrier, Mechanical, and Thermomechanical Properties of PLA/PCL Blends for Application in Personal Hygiene: A Review

This present review aims to provide a clear overview of the environmental impact of non-biodegradable materials, and the use of biodegradable materials as their replacements. Non-biodegradable polymers have been used in the past, and now they are considered a threat to the environment. Recently, it has become a necessity to manufacture products with biodegradable polymers to alleviate waste pollution because they can degrade in a short period of time in the environment. Biodegradable polymers can be used in various applications like cosmetics, coatings, wound dressings, gene delivery, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Blending biodegradable polymers could provide an excellent opportunity to produce innovative green biocomposites suitable for any desired applications. This paper reviews all the recent related works on biodegradable PLA and PCL materials and the introduction of fillers for the development of green biocomposites. The properties and characterisation of PLA/PCL blends and PLA-PCL-filler green biocomposites on morphology, thermal, mechanical, thermomechanical, and barrier properties are thoroughly reviewed. The applications, limitations, and future prospects of these green biocomposites is also highlighted.