Enhanced photodegradation of TiO₂‐containing poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(lactic acid) blends

Abstract

The calamitous accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, especially single-use disposables, calls for new approaches to materials design. One method to address the persistence of plastics beyond their intended use is to impart them with functionalities that will either allow for their recyclability or their degradation to basic natural components. This work focuses on the fabrication of photodegradable polyester blends and investigates the impact of compatibilization on photodegradation rates. Specifically, we blended poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymers by (reactive) extrusion in the presence or absence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), a radical generator, and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), an inorganic photocatalyst. We examined the effects of DCP and TiO 2 loadings as well as copolymer composition on the thermomechanical properties, photodegradability, and morphology. We found that the inclusion of TiO 2 dramatically increased flexural moduli and photodegradation rates in both dry and wet conditions, while reactive compatibilization had little effect of the tested properties. This simple and scalable approach is promising to fabricate materials that can readily photodegrade.

Investigation of the Effects of Chain Extender on Material Properties of PLA/PCL and PLA/PEG Blends: Comparative Study between Polycaprolactone and Polyethylene Glycol

“…PLA has good biodegradability, biocompatibility, and high mechanical properties [3,4]. PLA offers various applications in different sectors, such as packaging, biomedical, and structural [1,[5][6][7][8]. However, PLA has inherent drawbacks, such as brittleness, slow crystallization rate, low melt strength, and difficulty processing at high temperatures, which restrict its wide range of applications [9,10].…”