Enzymatic degradation, electronic, and thermal properties of graphite‐ and graphene oxide‐filled biodegradable polylactide/poly(ε‐caprolactone) blend composites

Abstract

Commodity polymers are the most widely used materials for electronic packaging applications. However, they are nondegradable and causing serious environmental damage. Addressing this challenge, the relative effects of graphite (G) and graphene oxide (GO) dispersion on the enzymatic degradation, electronic properties, thermal degradation, and crystallization behavior of enzyme degradable polylactide/poly(ε-caprolactone) blend composites is investigated. Owing to the oxygenated surface functionalities and excellent thermal conductivity arising from the carbon structure, the randomly dispersed GO particles do not provide electrical pathways and facilitate large enhancements in the electrical resistivity (126%) and thermal conductivity (72%) of the blend composites. However, while the G particles enhanced the thermal conductivity of the composites, they had little effect on enzymatic degradation. Furthermore, they reduced the electrical resistivity, particularly at high concentration (0.25 wt % G), as a result of the conducting delocalized electrons in the G structure and due to network formation. We also find that the energy required to initiate and propagate the thermal degradation process for GO-filled blend composites is relatively lower than that of G-filled blend composite. However, the former composites show higher crystallization rate coefficients value than that of G-filled composites and the neat blend, thereby providing better crystallization ability and miscibility with the matrix. In summary, the GO-filled blend composites are observed to show potential for use in sustainable materials for thermal management applications. (PLA) have attracted the most attention due to their short degradation periods (1-2 years in landfill sites), the ability to degrade through hydrolytic and enzymatic degradation and high level ofAdditional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article.

High‐Impact PLA in Compatibilized PLA/PCL Blends: Optimization of Blend Composition and Type and Content of Compatibilizer

“…Similar trends were seen in other works, though the brittle-ductile transition happens at higher PCL contents. [15,16,37] Regarding the impact strength, PLA displays a value of 22 J m −1 , another demonstration of its inherent fragility, whereas PCL does not break under the testing conditions employed in this work. The impact strength of the noncompatibilized PLA/PCL blends does not significantly change until 30 wt.% of PCL is added to PLA, a composition that shows a value almost double to that of neat PLA.…”

“…In noncompatibilized PLA/PCL blends, it is observed that the modulus decreases linearly as the amount of PCL increases (Figure 1a), which is typical for PLA/PCL systems. [12,18,20,37] Similarly, the yield strength also decreases with increasing the PCL content, showing a negative deviation from the additive law for mixtures.…”

“…All the PLA/PCL blends display two tan 𝛿 peaks at approximately the same position as the neat components, pointing to the blends being immiscible, as it has been widely reported for melt-blended PLA/PCL blends. [12,13,17,37,38] Figure S2, Supporting Information, shows the first DSC heating scans for PLA, PCL, and PLA/PCL blends. Data extracted from them are summarized in Table S2, Supporting Information.…”

Influence of modified fiber–MHSH hybrids on fire hazards, combustion dynamics, and mechanical properties of flame‐retarded poly(butylene succinate) composites

“…1,2 Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester material with high processability, excellent thermal stability, and close to general plastics in mechanical properties. 1,2 Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester material with high processability, excellent thermal stability, and close to general plastics in mechanical properties.…”

“…Recently, environmental-friendly materials based on renewable resources, in particular biodegradable polymers, have been a particular focus of research among the environment sustainability. 1,2 Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester material with high processability, excellent thermal stability, and close to general plastics in mechanical properties. [3][4][5] Therefore, PBS is a type of ideal plastic matrix for the preparation of biodegradable composites.…”