Plant-based materials have found their application in the packaging with a yearly growing production rate. These naturally biodegradable polymers are obtained from renewable and sustainable natural resources with reduced environmental impact and affordable cost. These materials have found their utilization in fully-renewable plant-based packaging products, such as Tetra Pak®-like containers, by replacing commonly-used polyethylene as the polymer component. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the representative plant-based polymers because of its eco-friendliness and excellent chemical and mechanical properties. In this work, a PLA surface was modified by various food additives, namely ascorbic acid (ASA) and fumaric acid (FA), using plasma-initiated grafting reactions in order to improve the surface and adhesion properties of PLA. Various analytical and microscopic techniques were employed to prove the grafting process. Moreover, the improved adhesion of the modified PLA foil to aluminum (Al) foil in a laminate configuration was proven by peel resistance measurements. The peel resistance of modified PLA increased by 74% and 184% for samples modified by ASA and FA, respectively, compared with untreated PLA.
The effect of accelerated weathering degradation on the properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) blends and PLA/PCL/titanium (IV) dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposites are presented in this paper. The results show that both polymers are susceptible to weathering degradation, but their degradation rates are different and are also influenced by the presence of TiO2 in the samples. Visual, microscopic and atomic force microsocpy observations of the surface after accelerated weathering tests confirmed that degradation occurred faster in the PLA/PCL blends than in the PLA/PCL/TiO2 nanocomposites. The X‐ray diffraction results showed the degradation of PCL in the disappearance of its characteristic peaks over weathering time, and also confirmed that PLA lost its amorphous character and developed crystals from the shorter chains formed as a result of degradative chain scission. It was further observed that the presence of TiO2 retarded the degradation of both PLA and PCL. These results were supported by the differential scanning calorimetry results. The thermogravimetric analysis results confirmed that that PLA and PCL respectively influenced each other's thermal degradation, and that TiO2 played a role in the thermal degradation of both PLA and PCL. The tensile properties of both PLA/PCL and PLA/PCL/TiO2 were significantly reduced through weathering exposure and the incorporation of TiO2.
Degradation of materails due to corrosion has now emerged as an international challenge which is compelling the community to trace out some smart solutions on priority basis. Corrosion mitigation is not only important as it results in wastage of our natural resources, time, money and efforts, but more importantly its inadequate handling may lead to the safety threats. Some, such sad incidents have been reported in the past. That is why many countries of the world are paying special attention to address this challenge by investing a lot of money. Although, we can notice corrosion everywhere around us, however, mining, mineral processing, oil & gas and many other processing industries are facing severe corrosion challenges. In many applications, it is only the surface of the material that is directly exposed to the corrosive medium, hence modifying the surface properties may lead to control the corrosion phenomenon. Towards this goal, the development of various types of nanocomposite coatings has proven to be a an economic and viable option. The present research work addresses the synthesis and characterization of novel Ni-B-AlN nanocomposite coatings. The Ni-B and Ni-B-AlN nanocomposite coatings were electrodeposited on the mild substrate. A comparison of structural, surface, mechanical and electrochemical properties are presented to elucidate the beneficial role of the incorporation of AlN nanoparticles into the Ni-B matrix. We have noticed that the addition of AlN nanoparticles to Ni-B matrix has a remarkable effect on its properties. Ni-B-AlN nanocomposite coatings demonstrate superior structural, mechanical and anticorrosion properties when compared to Ni-B coatings which make them attractive for many industrial applications.
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