This work addresses the potential of two biobased terpenoids, linalyl acetate and geranyl acetate, as environmentally friendly monomeric plasticizers for polylactide (PLA). Plasticized formulations of PLA containing 10 wt.% and 20 wt.% terpenoids were melt-compounded in a twin-screw co-rotating extruder and, subsequently, processed by injection moulding for further characterization. In addition, a reactive extrusion process (REX) was carried out on plasticized formulations containing 20 wt.% terpenoids with dicumyl peroxide to anchor the plasticizer molecules into the PLA backbone. Both terpenoids led to a remarkable plasticization effect on PLA, with a noticeable increase in ductile properties. In particular, the elongation at break of PLA, around 4.7%, was improved to values above 230% for all the plasticized formulations, even for low terpenoid concentration of 10 wt.%. Terpenoids also provide increased crystallinity because polymers chains have more mobility and are more readily arranged. This was observed by shifting the cold crystallization process to lower temperatures. As with other monomeric plasticizers, a clear decrease in the glass transition temperature from 61.5 °C (neat PLA), to values of around 40 °C for the plasticized formulations with 20 wt.% terpenoid was obtained. The obtained formulations show high potential since the plasticization efficiency of these terpenoids is very high, thus leading to new toughened-PLA formulations with improved ductility.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in social awareness of environmental problems related to high waste generation, oil scarcity and the growing need to reduce the carbon footprint. In this context, polymers from renewable sources can successfully reduce the use of fossil resources. This research work presents the study of polymer matrix composites from high density polyethylene of renewable origin (bioHPDE) and fibers extracted from the strobili of the common pine (Pinus halepensis) typical of the Mediterranean area, characterized by its high percentage of cellulose, and for being very abundant in the natural and economic environment. The research has focused on the influence of a compatibilizing agent based on polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride on the final performance of the composite material. The resulting composites have been processed by extrusion and subsequent injection molding and a characterization focused on mechanical and thermal properties has been carried out. The results have demonstrated the optimization of the performance of the composite by using the compatibilizer, offering a significant improvement of the fiber-matrix interaction and thus validating its use in this type of composites. The result is a wood plastic composite (WPC) with a wide range of properties depending on the filler content used, providing a highly versatile material with applications in various industrial sectors.
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