Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design

The development of molded products using biodegradable biomass plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) has been actively promoted in order to reduce environmental problems caused by petroleum-derived plastics. However, because biomass plastics are brittle and have low thermal stability, there is a ne...

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Main Authors: Jiaru Zhou, Shinjiro Machida, Kazushi Yamada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:Next Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282500557X
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author Jiaru Zhou
Shinjiro Machida
Kazushi Yamada
author_facet Jiaru Zhou
Shinjiro Machida
Kazushi Yamada
author_sort Jiaru Zhou
collection DOAJ
description The development of molded products using biodegradable biomass plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) has been actively promoted in order to reduce environmental problems caused by petroleum-derived plastics. However, because biomass plastics are brittle and have low thermal stability, there is a need to develop fiber-reinforced composites with weather and heat resistance. In this study, PLA/glass fiber (GF) composite moldings are fabricated using a 3D printer, and the effects of UV-C irradiation on PLA/GF composites were evaluated by irradiating them with UV-C for 0 −14d. The results suggest that although the surfaces of the PLA and PLA–GF composite are oxidized, the degradation of PLA molecules by UV-C is reduced as the GF content increases. That is, compared to neat PLA, the decrease in the melting point, tensile modulus and strength of the PLA/GF composite material was suppressed. We demonstrated that glass fibers have the potential not only as a reinforcing material but also as a UV-absorbing material by making good use of the property that glass does not allow short-wavelength UV rays to pass through.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2949-8228
language English
publishDate 2025-10-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Next Materials
spelling doaj-art-a0595e4e6d36400aad019a40420dd7c32025-08-20T03:45:11ZengElsevierNext Materials2949-82282025-10-01910103910.1016/j.nxmate.2025.101039Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable designJiaru Zhou0Shinjiro Machida1Kazushi Yamada2Department of Advanced Fibro-Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, JapanFaculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, JapanFaculty of Fiber Science and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan; Corresponding author.The development of molded products using biodegradable biomass plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) has been actively promoted in order to reduce environmental problems caused by petroleum-derived plastics. However, because biomass plastics are brittle and have low thermal stability, there is a need to develop fiber-reinforced composites with weather and heat resistance. In this study, PLA/glass fiber (GF) composite moldings are fabricated using a 3D printer, and the effects of UV-C irradiation on PLA/GF composites were evaluated by irradiating them with UV-C for 0 −14d. The results suggest that although the surfaces of the PLA and PLA–GF composite are oxidized, the degradation of PLA molecules by UV-C is reduced as the GF content increases. That is, compared to neat PLA, the decrease in the melting point, tensile modulus and strength of the PLA/GF composite material was suppressed. We demonstrated that glass fibers have the potential not only as a reinforcing material but also as a UV-absorbing material by making good use of the property that glass does not allow short-wavelength UV rays to pass through.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282500557XPolylactic acid, PLA composite3D printingUltraviolet-C resistanceAccelerated degradation test
spellingShingle Jiaru Zhou
Shinjiro Machida
Kazushi Yamada
Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
Next Materials
Polylactic acid, PLA composite
3D printing
Ultraviolet-C resistance
Accelerated degradation test
title Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
title_full Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
title_fullStr Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
title_short Enhanced UV-C resistance of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/glass fiber composites: Structural stability and sustainable design
title_sort enhanced uv c resistance of 3d printed poly lactic acid glass fiber composites structural stability and sustainable design
topic Polylactic acid, PLA composite
3D printing
Ultraviolet-C resistance
Accelerated degradation test
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282500557X
work_keys_str_mv AT jiaruzhou enhanceduvcresistanceof3dprintedpolylacticacidglassfibercompositesstructuralstabilityandsustainabledesign
AT shinjiromachida enhanceduvcresistanceof3dprintedpolylacticacidglassfibercompositesstructuralstabilityandsustainabledesign
AT kazushiyamada enhanceduvcresistanceof3dprintedpolylacticacidglassfibercompositesstructuralstabilityandsustainabledesign