This study examines the effect of poly(butylene adipate- co-terephthalate) (PBAT) content on the physical, morphological, and mechanical properties of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/PBAT foam. A compression molding technique was used to prepare the PBS/PBAT foam using the chemical blowing agent azodicarbonamide and the cross-linking agent dicumyl peroxide. The chemical structure and morphological properties of PBS/PBAT foam were examined via Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy techniques, respectively, whereas tensile and flexural properties were investigated using a universal testing machine. The results reveal that the incorporation of PBAT barely enhances the viscosity of the PBS/PBAT blend, producing only minor changes in the average cell size of PBS/PBAT foam. However, increasing the PBAT content contributes to a relatively significant improvement in the flexibility and toughness of PBS/PBAT foam, where a decrease in Young’s modulus and tensile strength of the PBS/PBAT foam is observed compared with those of the PBS foam. Similar behavior to the tensile results is noticed for the flexural properties of the neat and PBS/PBAT foams.
To enhance a viscosity of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), a crosslinking agent (i.e. dicumyl peroxide, DCP) or branching agent (i.e. Desmodur®N3300, N3300) was incorporated with various amount ranging from 0 to 4 phr via an internal mixer. The thermal transition, rheological properties (e.g. storage modulus, loss modulus, and complex viscosity) and gel content of the compound were determined via differential scanning calorimeter, rheometer, and gel content measurement, respectively. The results revealed that less degree of crystallinity, higher viscosity and more crosslinked structure were detected as increasing amount of DCP and N3300. Subsequently, a compression moulding technique was used to prepare PBS foam with a chemical blowing agent, i.e. azodicarbonamide (ADC). Scanning Electron Microscopy was acquired to examine cell size, cell size distribution, cell structure, and cell density. Besides, physical properties, e.g. foam density and physical appearance, were investigated. The results indicate that the degree of crystallinity, viscosity, and crosslinked structure affect the morphological and physical properties of PBS foams, i.e. greater viscosity and crosslinked structure causing obstacle for cell growth, and less degree of crystallinity allowing easier cell nucleation and cell growth.
This research was a study of physical and mechanical properties of polyethylene foam incorporated with various amount of lignin from 5 to 20 phr.The lignin was isolated from black liquor from Kraft pulping using a sulfuric acid at pH 3 and washed with hot water. A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA), and Laser Light Scattering were used to characterize the extracted lignin.The preparation of polyethylene foam was carried out using two-roll mill and compression moulding.Visual inspection, density measurement, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to investigate physical properties while compression test and compression set were used to investigate mechanical properties.The average lignin particle size diameter appears to be 31.733 m. The foam density increased slightly with amount of lignin.From SEM micrographs, it exhibited that all PE foams had a closed-cell structure where the cell sizes varied with amount of lignin.Foam incorporated with 10 phr of extracted lignin showed the finest cell distribution with an average cell diameter of 0.51 millimeters.
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