Biodegradable compatibilized polymer blends for packaging applications: A literature review

Abstract

The majority of materials used for short-term and disposable packaging application are non-biodegradable which are not satisfying the demands in environmental safety and sustainability. Biodegradable polymers are an alternative for these nonbiodegradable materials. The biodegradable polymeric materials can degrade in a reasonable time period without causing environmental problems. However, biodegradable polymers possess some limitations such as comparatively high cost, insufficient mechanical performances, and inferior thermal stability to extend their widespread application in packaging industry. To overcome these limitations, one of the most commonly used strategies is melt blending of dissimilar biodegradable polymers. Unfortunately, most of the biodegradable polymer blends exhibit insufficient performance because they are thermodynamically immiscible as well as exhibit poor compatibility between the blended components. It has been established that the compatibilization is a well-known strategy to improve the performances of the immiscible biodegradable polymer blends by enhancing the adhesion between the phases. As a result, recent studies focus on various compatibilizers to enhance the performances of the resulting biodegradable polymer blends. This review summarizes the recent developments on a variety of biodegradable polymer blends compatibilized by melt processing with a main focus of ex situ and in situ compatibilization strategies.

Preparation and Properties of Compatible Starch‐PCL Composites: Effects of the NCO Functionality in Compatibilizer

“…[34] Most of the decomposition process was distributed between 250 and 460°C, leaving at least 8.5% final residue at 700°C. This stage (250-460°C) was mainly caused by the decomposition of starch [6,9,33] and PCL. [35] Moreover, it can be seen that the residual char of PS-0 was the least, followed by PSPU-2 and the PSTI-3 had the largest residual amount, since there was no heat-resistant benzene ring structure in PS-0.…”

“…For example, the esterification synthesis of the grafted copolymer starch‐g‐PCL reported by Aurelio can achieve a conversion of 84%; however, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images displayed a weak interfacial compatibility between the starch granules and the grafted copolymer. Compatibilization is a simple and common method used to enhance the properties of immiscible or partially miscible blends, because the use of a compatibilizer can improve the adhesion between the blended components by facilitating better stress transfer from one phase to another . Therefore, the use of a compatibilizer in blends has a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the material which is crucial for high performance for the end product.…”

“…Compatibilization is a simple and common method used to enhance the properties of immiscible or partially miscible blends, because the use of a compatibilizer can improve the adhesion between the blended components by facilitating better stress transfer from one phase to another. [9] Therefore, the use of a compatibilizer in blends has a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the material which is crucial for high performance for the end product. In this regard, Zhang et al [10] have studied the effects of dioctyl maleate (DOM) as a compatibilizer on the interfacial compatibility of starch/polylactic acid composite materials.…”

Carbon Dioxide–Derived Poly(propylene carbonate) as a Matrix for Composites and Nanocomposites: Performances and Applications

“…The elongation at the break of PPC was drastically reduced with 10 wt% HPF and plateaued with a further increase in HPF content up to 40 wt%. This phenomenon is a typical characteristic of short fiber reinforced composites . In another study, biocomposites were prepared from PPC polymer with Caulis Spatholobi residue fiber (CSRF).…”

“…This phenomenon is a typical characteristic of short fiber reinforced composites. [32][33][34]38,39] In another study, [40] biocomposites were prepared from PPC polymer with Caulis Spatholobi residue fiber (CSRF). The interfacial adhesion between the CSRF and PPC was enhanced through hydrogen bonding formation between them.…”