Biodegradation Behavior of Poly(Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate) (PBAT), Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA), and Their Blend in Freshwater with Sediment.

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are well-known biodegadable polyesters due to their outstanding performance. The biodegradation behavior of PLA/PBAT blends in freshwater with sediment is investigated in this study by analyzing the appearance, chemical structure and aggregation structure of their degraded residues via SEM, TG, DSC, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and XPS. The effect of aggregation structure, hydrophilia and biodegradation mechanisms of PBAT and PLA on the biodegradability of PLA/PBAT blends is illuminated in this work. After biodegradation, the butylene terephthalate unit in the molecular structure of the components and the molecular weight of PLA/PBAT blends decreased, while the content of C-O bond in the composites increased, indicating that the samples indeed degraded. After 24 months of degradation, the increase in the relative peak area proportion of C-O to C=O in PLA/PBAT-25, PLA/PBAT-50 and PLA/PBAT-75 was 62%, 46% and 68%, respectively. The biodegradation rates of PBAT and PLA in the PLA/PBAT blend were lower than those for the respective single polymers.

Fully biobased and supertough polylactide-based thermoplastic vulcanizates fabricated by peroxide-induced dynamic vulcanization and interfacial compatibilization.

A fully biobased and supertough thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) consisting of polylactide (PLA) and a biobased vulcanized unsaturated aliphatic polyester elastomer (UPE) was fabricated via peroxide-induced dynamic vulcanization. Interfacial compatibilization between PLA and UPE took place during dynamic vulcanization, which was confirmed by gel measurement and NMR analysis. After vulcanization, the TPV exhibited a quasi cocontinuous morphology with vulcanized UPE compactly dispersed in PLA matrix, which was different from the pristine PLA/UPE blend, exhibiting typically phase-separated morphology with unvulcanized UPE droplets discretely dispersed in matrix. The TPV showed significantly improved tensile and impact toughness with values up to about 99.3 MJ/m(3) and 586.6 J/m, respectively, compared to those of 3.2 MJ/m(3) and 16.8 J/m for neat PLA, respectively. The toughening mechanisms under tensile and impact tests were investigated and deduced as massive shear yielding of the PLA matrix triggered by internal cavitation of VUPE. The fully biobased supertough PLA vulcanizate could serve as a promising alternative to traditional commodity plastics.

Fully biobased poly(lactic acid)/lignin composites compatibilized by epoxidized natural rubber.

Biobased poly(lactic acid)/lignin (PLA/lignin) composites are limited by poor mechanical properties resulted from poor compatibility and low interfacial adhesion. Herein, we reported a novel approach to improve compatibility and interfacial adhesion of PLA/lignin composites via reactive compatibilization with epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) as a compatibilizer. Interfacial tension calculation indicated that lignin tended to act as interfacial phase between PLA and ENR, but morphology analysis demonstrated lignin was wrapped with a layer of ENR and dispersed in PLA matrix, which was attributed to the interfacial reaction of ENR with both PLA and lignin. The interfacial reaction was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The compatibility and interfacial adhesion between PLA and lignin were improved significantly by incorporation and increase in the content of ENR, as evidenced by the reduced interfacial gaps, blurry phase boundaries, and enhanced elastic response. As such, the mechanical properties of PLA/lignin composites were enhanced significantly. The tensile strength and elongation at break of PLA/lignin (W/W, 80/20) were improved by 15 % and 77 %, respectively, with the incorporation of only 1 wt% ENR. We believe this approach to compatibilize PLA/lignin composites is promising because it would not require costly modification of lignin and would not compromise the sustainability of composites.

Fabrication of well-dispersed cellulose nanocrystal reinforced biobased epoxy composites using reversibility of covalent adaptable network.

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) shows great potential in reinforced composites but it is difficult to disperse in epoxy thermosets due to its poor dispersity in epoxy monomers. Herein, we reported a novel approach to disperse CNC in epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)-derived epoxy thermosets uniformly by using the reversibility of dynamic imine-containing ESO-derived covalent adaptable network (CAN). The crosslinked CAN was deconstructed by an exchange reaction with ethylenediamine (EDA) in dimethyl formamide (DMF), leading to a solution of deconstructed CAN with plenty of hydroxyl and amino groups, which could form strong hydrogen bonds with hydroxyl groups of CNC and thus facilitated and stabilized dispersion of CNC in the deconstructed CAN solution. Epoxy composite with well-dispersed CNC was finally achieved by a reformation of CAN through the removal of DMF and EDA. In this way, the epoxy composites with CNC content up to 30 wt% were successfully prepared and showed drastically reinforced mechanical properties. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the CAN were improved by up to ∼70 % and ∼45 times with the incorporation of 20 and 30 wt% CNC, respectively. The composites showed excellent reprocessability without significant loss in mechanical properties after reprocessing.

Mussel-inspired chitosan modified superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic cotton fabric for efficient oil/water separation.

Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic textiles exhibit excellent oil/water separation performance but are limited by the poor stability and environmental incompatibility. Inspired by strong adhesion of marine mussels, we designed and fabricated a stable and eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic cotton fabric (CF) from all renewable resources through in-situ surface deposition of polydopamine (PDA) particles followed by adsorption of hydrophilic chitosan via dip coating at room temperature. The as-prepared superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic CF exhibited outstanding oil/water separation performance with separation efficiency and water flux higher than 99 % and 15,000 L m-2 h-1, respectively. Moreover, it not only showed excellent resistance to mechanical abrasion and ultrasound treatment but also had outstanding superwetting stability against acid/alkali/salt erosion. We believed that the eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic CF would exhibit great potential in oil/water separation especially under harsh conditions.

Structure and properties of soy protein/poly(butylene succinate) blends with improved compatibility.

A novel environmentally friendly thermoplastic soy protein/polyester blend was successfully prepared by blending soy protein isolate (SPI) with poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). To improve the compatibility between SPI and PBS, the polyester was pretreated by introducing different amounts of urethane and isocyanate groups before blending. The blends containing pretreated PBS showed much finer phase structures because of good dispersion of polyester in protein. Consequently, the tensile strength and modulus of blends increased obviously. A lower glass transition temperature of protein in the blends than that of the pure SPI, which was caused by the improvement of the compatibility between two phases, was observed by dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). The hydrophobicity, water resistance, and moisture absorption at different humidities of the blends were modified significantly due to the incorporation of PBS.