Exploring the Effect of Poly(propylene carbonate) Polyol in a Biobased Epoxy Interpenetrating Network

Abstract

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) polyol derived from carbon dioxide has been used to make a tough biobased interpenetrating polymer network (IPN). PPC polyol (10, 20, and 30 phr) was added to an epoxy/poly(furfuryl alcohol) IPN, and the effect of PPC polyol on the tensile modulus, tensile strength, tensile toughness, and notched Izod impact strength was determined. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to investigate the effect of PPC polyol on the glass-transition temperature. Loss area (LA) as a characteristic of IPN damping properties was evaluated using DMA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to obtain more information on the morphology of IPNs on the micro- and nanoscale. It was found that the incorporation of PPC polyol improved the notched Izod impact strength and tensile toughness up to 190 and 220%, respectively. The damping factor peak was broadened with the addition of PPC polyol, and the glass-transition temperature was decreased as the amount of PPC polyol increased. The IPN with 20 phr PPC polyol exhibited better damping properties than neat epoxy and the epoxy/PFA IPN. SEM and AFM images revealed that PPC polyol domains were dispersed in the epoxy phase with an average diameter of around 280 nm.

Manufacturing and Characterization of Composite Fibreboards with Posidonia oceanica Wastes with an Environmentally-Friendly Binder from Epoxy Resin

“…As the toughness increases the damping peak (and more specifically, the loss area) increases due to energy absorption. This situation can be seen in Figure 8 as the loss area is higher for all treated fibreboards, thus indicating that the effect on toughness is positive [ 49 ].…”

Tuning the compatibility to achieve toughened biobased poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene terephthalate) blends

“…Blending of biodegradable polymers with petroleum based polymers allows development of partially biobased polymers with enhanced or desired properties at relatively low cost. 21,22 The work related to tailoring of the properties for biobased PLA blends to improve its performance have gained much interest in recent year. [23][24][25][26][27] PLA is a good candidate to blend with PBT to form a biobased polymer as they are both from the polyester family.…”

Recent progress in carbon dioxide (CO2) as feedstock for sustainable materials development: Co-polymers and polymer blends

“…Additionally, polyols are important polymer additives for applications as plasticizers, chain extenders, and processing aids [112]. While a diverse variety of polyols exist in the market, polyether polyols, polyester polyol, and polycarbonate polyols constitute the majority of the polyol production.…”

“…In addition to PPC blends with biodegradable polymer, there are few studies conducted on PPC blends with non-biodegradable polymers (Table 4). For example, poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) [205][206][207], poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) [208], polystyrene (PS) [209], urethanes [210], epoxy [112], polypropylene (PP) [211], and bisphenol A (BPA) [212]. The goal of blending PPC with non-biodegradable polymers is to tailor the properties of PPC (e.g., processability, mechanical, thermal).…”