In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts
Moving toward a more sustainable production model based on a circular economy, biopolymers are considered as one of the most promising alternatives to reduce the dependence on oil-based plastics. Polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), a bacterial biopolyester from the polyhydroxialkanoates (PHAs) f...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/12/2337 |
| _version_ | 1797483044841455616 |
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| author | Kerly Samaniego-Aguilar Estefanía Sánchez-Safont Alex Arrillaga Jon Anakabe Jose Gamez-Perez Luis Cabedo |
| author_facet | Kerly Samaniego-Aguilar Estefanía Sánchez-Safont Alex Arrillaga Jon Anakabe Jose Gamez-Perez Luis Cabedo |
| author_sort | Kerly Samaniego-Aguilar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Moving toward a more sustainable production model based on a circular economy, biopolymers are considered as one of the most promising alternatives to reduce the dependence on oil-based plastics. Polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), a bacterial biopolyester from the polyhydroxialkanoates (PHAs) family, seems to be an attractive candidate to replace commodities in many applications such as rigid packaging, among others, due to its excellent overall physicochemical and mechanical properties. However, it presents a relatively poor thermal stability, low toughness and ductility, thus limiting its applicability with respect to other polymers such as polypropylene (PP). To improve the performance of PHBV, reactive blending with an elastomer seems to be a proper cost-effective strategy that would lead to increased ductility and toughness by rubber toughening mechanisms. Hence, the objective of this work was the development and characterization of toughness-improved blends of PHBV with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as a reactive extrusion agent. To better understand the role of the elastomer and the compatibilizer, the morphological, rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior of the blends were investigated. To explore the in-service performance of the blends, mechanical and long-term creep characterization were conducted at three different temperatures (−20, 23, 50 °C). Furthermore, the biodegradability in composting conditions has also been tested. The results showed that HMDI proved its efficiency as a compatibilizer in this system, reducing the average particle size of the TPU disperse phase and enhancing the adhesion between the PHBV matrix and TPU elastomer. Although the sole incorporation of the TPU leads to slight improvements in toughness, the compatibilizer plays a key role in improving the overall performance of the blends, leading to a clear improvement in toughness and long-term behavior. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:42:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-109cd4ab7cf445ecb4fd7fb48a39d610 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:42:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-109cd4ab7cf445ecb4fd7fb48a39d6102023-11-23T18:36:15ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-06-011412233710.3390/polym14122337In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected PartsKerly Samaniego-Aguilar0Estefanía Sánchez-Safont1Alex Arrillaga2Jon Anakabe3Jose Gamez-Perez4Luis Cabedo5Polymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castelló, SpainPolymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castelló, SpainLeartiker S. Coop., Xemein Etorbidea 12, 48270 Markina-Xemein, SpainLeartiker S. Coop., Xemein Etorbidea 12, 48270 Markina-Xemein, SpainPolymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castelló, SpainPolymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castelló, SpainMoving toward a more sustainable production model based on a circular economy, biopolymers are considered as one of the most promising alternatives to reduce the dependence on oil-based plastics. Polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), a bacterial biopolyester from the polyhydroxialkanoates (PHAs) family, seems to be an attractive candidate to replace commodities in many applications such as rigid packaging, among others, due to its excellent overall physicochemical and mechanical properties. However, it presents a relatively poor thermal stability, low toughness and ductility, thus limiting its applicability with respect to other polymers such as polypropylene (PP). To improve the performance of PHBV, reactive blending with an elastomer seems to be a proper cost-effective strategy that would lead to increased ductility and toughness by rubber toughening mechanisms. Hence, the objective of this work was the development and characterization of toughness-improved blends of PHBV with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as a reactive extrusion agent. To better understand the role of the elastomer and the compatibilizer, the morphological, rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior of the blends were investigated. To explore the in-service performance of the blends, mechanical and long-term creep characterization were conducted at three different temperatures (−20, 23, 50 °C). Furthermore, the biodegradability in composting conditions has also been tested. The results showed that HMDI proved its efficiency as a compatibilizer in this system, reducing the average particle size of the TPU disperse phase and enhancing the adhesion between the PHBV matrix and TPU elastomer. Although the sole incorporation of the TPU leads to slight improvements in toughness, the compatibilizer plays a key role in improving the overall performance of the blends, leading to a clear improvement in toughness and long-term behavior.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/12/2337PHBVTPUHMDItougheningrheologybiodegradability |
| spellingShingle | Kerly Samaniego-Aguilar Estefanía Sánchez-Safont Alex Arrillaga Jon Anakabe Jose Gamez-Perez Luis Cabedo In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts Polymers PHBV TPU HMDI toughening rheology biodegradability |
| title | In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts |
| title_full | In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts |
| title_fullStr | In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts |
| title_full_unstemmed | In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts |
| title_short | In Service Performance of Toughened PHBV/TPU Blends Obtained by Reactive Extrusion for Injected Parts |
| title_sort | in service performance of toughened phbv tpu blends obtained by reactive extrusion for injected parts |
| topic | PHBV TPU HMDI toughening rheology biodegradability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/12/2337 |
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