Modification of low‐molecular polylactic acid by CaF 2 nanoparticles: A new approach to change its material properties

Due to environmental problems and the increasing waste of resources, sustainable biodegradable plastics has become a great topic worldwide. In this communique, we present a simple low‐cost synthesis to improve one of these typically used materials, PLA (polylactic acid). CaF 2 nanoparticles synthesized according the fluorolytic sol–gel synthesis in lactic acid give access to fine tune the material characteristics of LMPLA (low‐molecular polylactic acid) due to a simply to apply polycondensation reaction of lactic acid monomers. Thus, for the first time, homo dispersed CaF 2 up to 15 wt % in PLA is synthesized as cubic nanomaterial improving the characteristics of a subsequently formed thermoplastic in comparison with a polycondensed PLA reference material. A detailed characterization of the synthesized material is provided by using X‐ray imaging, TEM, 19 F MAS NMR, (sol) XRD, MALDI‐TOF, and nanoindentation. The results reveal a promising first step of a modification opportunity of LMPLA regarding melting point, elastic modulus, and hardness. This way it is possible to adjust material characteristics in a simple and inexpensive way, which might broaden the field of possible applications and make biodegradable plastics a more competitive alternative to conventional used ones. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47875.