Role of Plasticizers on PHB/bio-TPE Blends Compatibilized by Reactive Extrusion

Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biopolymer biologically synthesized by controlled bacterial fermentation from a wide variety of microorganisms. PHB is proposed as a potential green alternative to commonly used plastics in packaging, due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, if PHB...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Samaniego, Kerly, Matos, Armando, Sánchez-Safont, Estefanía, Candal, María V., Lagarón Cabello, José María, Cabedo, Luis, Gámez Pérez, José
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/264000
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/264000
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85124236087
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:PHB
Compatibilizer
Elastomer
Thermoforming
Descripción
Sumario:Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biopolymer biologically synthesized by controlled bacterial fermentation from a wide variety of microorganisms. PHB is proposed as a potential green alternative to commonly used plastics in packaging, due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, if PHB is to replace commodities, it has some limitations regarding its thermo-mechanical performance to overcome. Among them are its critically the low toughness values at room temperature and poor thermoforming ability. With the aim of overcoming these weaknesses, in this work, blends of PHB with the addition of a biodegradable thermoplastic elastomer (bio-TPE) were prepared and evaluated. Films of such compounds were made by cast extrusion. In order to enhance the compatibility of both polymers during the extrusion process, three different reactive agents (poly-hexametylene diisocianate, triglycidyl isocyanurate, and Joncryl® ADR-4368) were assessed. The morphology and mechanical- and thermal properties of the films obtained were analyzed. In addition, the thermoforming ability of the produced films was evaluated. The results show that the plasticizers present in the bio-TPE interacted with the reactive agents, making them chemical competitors and altering the outcome of the blends.