Thermal and Mechanical Characterisation of Poly(ω -Hydroxy Pelargonate): A Preliminary Study for Bioplastic

Abstract

Poly(ω-hydroxy pelargonate) or P(ω-OHP) is a potential biodegradable plastic which was prepared by melt condensation of its monomer (ω-hydroxy pelargonic acid). In this study, the performances of P(ω-OHP) in thermal and mechanical aspects, as well as the method employed for the monomer preparation was presented. Although this type of monomer is well established for pharmaceutical and cosmetic application, its possibility to be applied in bioplastic has not been extensively studied. Previous research also showed that the monomer preparation was rather complicated, expansive, and hazardous. Thus, this study offers the safe method through chemical modification which conducted in mild condition. The monomer structure was verified by using ESI-MS at 173.1 m/z with 92% purity. After melt-condensation process was carried out at 190 °C for 4 h, the formation of P(ω-OHP) was identified by the present of methylene ester bond indicated on 1H NMR peak at 4.05 ppm. The thermal properties were analyzed by DSC, TGA,and rheometer. P(ω-OHP) was melted at 72.8 °C and start to degrade at 220 °C with rheology analysis represented Newtonian flow at 80 and 180 °C.P(ω-OHP) contains 73.5% degree of crystallinity as determined by XRD with fewer amorphous area has affecting low mechanical value in hardness (31) and compressive strength (modulus 47.3 MPa, yield 1.03 MPa). The results suggest that P(ω-OHP) is thermally stable and physically hard and brittle. The findings have implications for bioplastic custom and subjected to improvement via polymer blending or block co-polymerization for application flexibility.

Green Approaches, Potentials, and Applications of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Surface Coatings and Films

“…The use of polymeric nanomaterials with stable encapsulating properties and biocompatibility is favoured to maintain the features and values of ZnO NPs. As most natural-based biopolymers contain −H groups that facilitate surface modifications that improve the properties of nanocomposites, it birthed the idea of using green materials to encapsulate ZnO NPs so that these eco-friendly materials have the potential to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus [ 116 ]. Nevertheless, material cost, safety, skills, and setup for in vitro studies are some of the challenges that warrant serious consideration to avoid accidents during experimentation.…”