Development of potentially biodegradable polyamide‐6 and polyvinyl alcohol blends: Physico‐mechanical properties, thermal properties, and soil test

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Blends of polyamide-6 with 5, 7.5, 10, 15, and 20 wt % of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were prepared by the extruding in a corotating twin-screw extruder. The extrudate strands were cut into pellets and injection-molded to make test specimens. These specimens were tested for physico-mechanical properties such as tensile strength, impact strength, density, water absorption, hardness, and thermal characteristics by differential scanning calorimetry, heat distortion temperature (HDT), vicat softening point (VSP), and melt flow index. The prepared blends show enhanced biodegradation, water absorption, and density, but it is observed that the introduction of PVA into the polyamide-6 matrix shows considerable reduction in tensile strength, impact strength, HDT, VSP, and hardness initially, but subsequent addition does not show significant reduction because of the enhanced interaction between amide groups of polyamide-6 and hydroxyl groups of PVA.

Mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene/sugarcane Bagasse composites

“…With the ongoing research efforts aimed at the preparation and evaluation of hydrophilic/biodegradable polymers, [25][26][27][28][29] the present study reports the preparation of polypropylene (PP)/sugarcane bagasse (SCB) powder composites to examine the possibility of using SCB as a filler in PP matrix. In today's environmentally focused society, the demand for costeffective, environmental friendly materials continues to increase.…”

Dehydration of water‐plasticized poly(vinyl alcohol) systems: particular behavior of isothermal mass transfer

“…Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a typical water‐soluble semicrystalline polymer, which has many excellent properties, such as good barrier properties to oxygen and oil, high strength, abrasion resistance, antistatic properties and biodegradability in certain conditions 1–4. These properties of PVA are rooted in its particular multi‐hydroxyl structure and the small size of the hydroxyl substituent groups that allow essentially atactic PVA to crystallize 2–7. Water plays an important role in controlling the crystallization and supramolecular structure of PVA by breaking its intramolecular or intermolecular hydrogen bonds and forming strong interactions with the hydroxyl groups of PVA.…”

“…The particular structure and excellent performance endow PVA with many application values 2–5, 10. In addition, PVA is one of the few polymers that can be prepared via a non‐petroleum route 12.…”

Small scale injection moulding of modified poly(vinyl alcohol)

“…Therefore, some high boiling compounds, such as glycerol, low molecular poly(ethylene glycol), butyl citrate, etc., were used as plasticisers to obtain thermoplastic PVA. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] According to the excellent compatibility of PVA with polar polymers, blending is another method to improve the thermal properties of PVA, PVA/starch, 4,9,10 polyamide 6/ PVA, 11 acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/PVA, 12 etc. were obtained by extruding the blends in a single or corotating twin screw extruder.…”