Investigating mechanical performance of PLA and CA biodegradable printed circuit boards

The paper presents a set of experiments investigating the mechanical performance of PCBs manufactured from biodegradable, sustainable polymers, compared to conventional materials. Cellulose Acetate (CA), Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Flame-Retardant Class 4 (FR-4) substrates were compared during the experiments. The methods involved dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), three-point bending tests and UL 94 flammability tests. Preliminary results show that the overall performance of the basic biodegradable, sustainable PCBs are considerably weaker compared to FR4 boards, however further improvements with additives and use in special applications can point to practical purposes of the substrates.