Unveiling the confined dispersion mechanism of nanomaterials by stereocomplex cross-linked networks in polylactic acid

XL Su and QC Pan and YL Zhai and C Jia and JQ Wang and Z Xu and JX Li and J Zhao and HX Xiang and XD Wei and MF Zhu, JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 235, 293-301 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.01.067

Nanomaterials are extensively utilized in a multitude of sectors, but their propensity to aggregate can considerably diminish the efficacy of functional materials. A pivotal challenge in this domain is achieving a homogenous distribution of nanomaterials, which is essential for enhancing their performance while also reducing production costs. In this work, we achieve uniform and stable dispersion of various nano- materials through the confinement effect generated by the stereocomplex cross-linked network formed by the combination of poly (L-lactic) acid and poly (D-lactic) acid. The unique confinement effect of poly-lactic acid (PLA) isomers is universal and significantly enhances the dispersion of nanomaterials in both PLA solutions and films. To demonstrate the efficacy of our approach, we disperse aggregation- induced emission (AIE) molecules within PLA, which leads to the production of PLA films exhibiting improved fluorescence property. This work provides an effective solution for the preparation of nanocomposite materials that are both high-performing and cost-efficient. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Return to Publications page