Preparation of Enhanced Poly(butylene succinate) Foams

Abstract

Biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) foams with high performance are usually difficult to be prepared because of its lower melt viscosity. Herein, high‐melt‐viscosity PBS was firstly prepared by combining the in situ reaction between carboxyl‐ended polyester (CP) and solid epoxy (SE) both as viscosifier and strengthening agent with the presence of crosslinking agent of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and crosslinking co‐agent of trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate. Then enhanced PBS foams were successfully prepared by the traditional chemical compression‐molding method. Furthermore, the content effects of CP/SE, blowing agent azodicarbonamide, and DCP on the properties and morphologies of enhanced PBS foams were studied in details. Results revealed that the tensile strength of the as‐prepared PBS foams was as high as 32.3 MPa with the density of 0.58 g/cm3, which was higher than that of pure PBS resin (25.6 MPa). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:1275–1282, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers

Effect of PBAT on physical, morphological, and mechanical properties of PBS/PBAT foam

“…Numerous scientists are utilizing ADC for PBS. 7 -13 However, some researchers reveal that heat release from the exothermic reaction of ADC during the foam process could be an issue due to the low viscosity of linear PBS, cell collapse, and deteriorating mechanical or insulation properties of PBS foams. Yue et al 14 utilized endothermic expandable microspheres (EnEMs) to counteract the exothermic effect from ADC decomposition.…”

“…With a decrease in the amount of ADC and an increase in EnEMs, the closed-cell fraction of PBS foams is improved from 21% to approximately 100%, the average cell size decreased from 450 µm to 30 µm, the flexural strength increased from 3 MPa to 21 MPa, and the modulus from 106 MPa to 268 MPa. Feng et al 8 disclosed the effect of ADC on PBS properties by examining different amounts of ADC (i.e. 2, 4, 6, and 8 phr).…”

Morphology, thermal, and crystallization properties of poly(butylene succinate)‐grafted Nanocrystalline Cellulose by polymerization in situ

“…The most noted dicarboxylic acid‐derived polymer is PBS, which exhibits brilliant mechanical capabilities, processibility, and biodegradability . Commercially effective PBS is manufactured by a condensation reaction of succinic acid and 1,4‐butanediol , producing a semicrystalline polymer with a glass‐state transition temperature of −37 °C and melting point of 114 °C .…”

Biodegradable Starch/Chitosan Foam via Microwave Assisted Preparation: Morphology and Performance Properties

“…With people's increased awareness of environmental protection, considerable attention has been paid to the development of environmentally friendly materials. Therefore, bio-based and biodegradable polymers as replacement materials for traditional nonbiodegradable plastics have been extensively studied [1][2][3][4]. Biodegradable plastics in the natural environment are decomposed into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ) by the action of water (H 2 O), light, and microorganisms, and they hardly pollute the environment.…”