The natural clam shell (CS) has a unique CaCO3‐proteoglycan structure which can be beneficial in improving the strength of materials as a result of the stiff CaCO3 content present in it. Moreover, the existence of active groups such as hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, and amino groups in CS can make it possible to form chemical bonds with some functional groups in other materials. In this work, CS which is mostly regarded as waste was utilized to prepare compatible composites via melting process with biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL). Addition of 15 wt % of polyurethane prepolymer as a compatibilizer to a designed weight ratio of 1 to 1 of CS powder and PCL increased the elongation at break of the composite from 9.3 to 536.5%, and also improved the tensile strength from 14.9 to 18.9 MPa. Particularly important was that scanning electron microscopy investigation revealed that the adhesion between the CS and PCL improved significantly as the content of the compatibilizer was increased. This work shows that CS has great potential applications in the area of compatible composites and could serve as an alternative material for reinforcement in polymer composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48768.
Developing biodegradable materials as alternative to petroleum based materials is highly desirable due to the problem of plastic pollution and shortage of petroleum‐based energy. In this context, the authors have developed bio‐based polylactic acid‐starch (PLA/St) composite materials with Poly‐1,4‐butylene glycol adipate diol (PBA)‐based polyurethane prepolymer (PBAPU) as a compatibilizer. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and other test results show that the compatibility between starch and polylactic acid‐starch (PLA) is improved by using the PBAPU compatibilizer. This is due to the polyurethane bond formed as a result of the reaction between the NCO group in polyurethane prepolymer and the OH group in starch. Furthermore, the structures of the soft segments in polyurethane prepolymer and the polylactic acid matrix which belong to the aliphatic polyesters with similar solubility parameters are also very compatible. The results suggested that a novel interface layer is formed between hydrophobic PLA and hydrophilic starch. Consequently, the ensuing PLA/St composite material exhibit increased interfacial compatibility between polylactic acid and starch, with significant improvements in the thermodynamic as well as the mechanical properties. Certainly, this research has significance in the field of bio‐based plastics, resource utilization, and environmental protection.
Environmentally friendly materials with high biomass content have always attracted attention. In this work, wood flour (WF), a renewable and environmentally friendly substance was modified by castor oil-based polyurethane prepolymer (COPU) and urea-formaldehyde resin, respectively, to prepare thermoset composites with high biomass content and excellent interface compatibility. A special intensive mixer designed and produced by our laboratory was used for the first time to mix the biobased composites with high viscosity.The WF biomass content of the composites was as high as 70 wt% and the composites were prepared by melt blending and hot pressing. In effect, 70 wt% of WF biomass and 17.5 wt% of castor oil biomass were used to prepare woodplant oil composite with almost 87.5 wt% of biomass. Through infrared spectroscopy (IR), emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermody-
As is well known, poor interfacial interactions between hydrophilic corn starch (CS) and hydrophobic thermoplastic matrices have been an obstacle in application of the quality biomass material like CS. The addition of compatibilizers is an effective method to improve the interface interaction. In this work, a special interficial structure using polyurethane crosslinked layer as compatible interface is designed and compatibilizers with different NCO functionality are also applied. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effects of compatibilizers with different NCO functionality (f, f = 0, 1, 2, 3) on the compatibility of corn starch‐polycaprolactone (CS‐PCL) composites. Subsequently, various CS‐PCL composites are prepared using compatiblizers with different NCO functionality (f = 0, 1, 2, 3) via melting process. The structural analysis, mechanical properties, and water absorption capability as well as the thermal stability of the composites reveal that the properties of the composites are only enhanced significantly when the NCO functionality is no less than 2. In short, when f ≥ 2, a crosslinked layer could be formed at the interface of the composite to afford a compatible CS‐PCL composite.
Wood‐plastic composites (WPCs) are sustainable green material with extensive application prospects in both industry and daily life. So a more convenient, environmentally friendly and effective method is crucial. In this work, WPC was composed by 60 wt% poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) matrix, 10 wt% compatibilizer, and 30 wt% wood flour (WF) through extruder and injection machine. The effects of PBS diol‐based polyurethane prepolymer (PBSPUP) compatibilizer on the structure and properties of WPCs were investigated. Compared with the WF30P70 sample, the tensile strength and the elongation at break of WF30PU10P60 sample had an increase of 52.1% and 125.0%, respectively. And the equilibrium water absorption of WF30PU10P60 was reduced from 4.79% (WF30P70) to 3.57%, the flow properties of WF30PU10P60 were also improved at the same time. Apparently, the composites containing the poly(butylene succinate) diol‐based polyurethane prepolymer (PBSPUP) compatibilizer exhibited improved mechanical properties and thermal performance as shown by the results of scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, water absorption, rheological property analyses, and so on. Toward this end, the special PBSPUP interface structure played an important role in improving the properties of the WPC.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.