Comparison of the Effect of Plasticizers on PHBV—and Organoclay—Based Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites

Journal Article · Fri Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of Polymers and the Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/S10924-017-1128-9· OSTI ID:22788129

Slongo, Matheus D.; Brandolt, Suelen D. F. ^[1]; Daitx, Tales S.; Mauler, Raquel S. ^[2]; Giovanela, Marcelo

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1. Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Área do Conhecimento de Ciências Exatas e Engenharias (Brazil)
2. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Química (Brazil)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different plasticizers on the morphology, crystallization, and mechanical properties of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/organomodified montmorillonite (OMt) nanocomposites. We investigated three different plasticizers: dioctyl phthalate (DOP), a commonly used additive in the polymer industry, and two natural and biodegradable plasticizers: epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and triethyl citrate (TEC). The nanocomposites with 3 wt% OMt were obtained by melt processing in an internal mixer. The plasticizers were used alone or in combination with clay in a concentration of 10 wt%. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results revealed a partially intercalated structure. The degree of crystallinity was higher for all of the samples compared to neat PHBV, although the melting temperature decreased with the use of plasticizers combined with OMt. The impact strength results were dependent on the interaction between the components of the system. Triethyl citrate was the most effective plasticizer due to its more pronounced interaction with the PHBV matrix, which yielded improvements in processing conditions and PHBV’s flexibility and impact properties.

• OSTI ID: 22788129
• Journal Information: Journal of Polymers and the Environment, Journal Name: Journal of Polymers and the Environment Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 26; ISSN 1566-2543
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CITRATES
FLEXIBILITY
IMPACT STRENGTH
MELTING POINTS
MIXERS
MONTMORILLONITE
NANOCOMPOSITES
PLASTICIZERS
POLYMERS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SOYBEAN OIL
X-RAY DIFFRACTION