Progress in bio-based plastics and plasticizing modifications

Abstract

Over the coming few decades bioplastic materials are expected to complement and gradually replace some of the fossil oil based materials. Multidisciplinary research efforts have generated a significant level of technical and commercial success towards these bio-based materials. However, extensive application of these bio-based plastics is still challenged by one or more of their possible inherent limitations, such as poor processability, brittleness, hydrophilicity, poor moisture and gas barrier, inferior compatibility, poor electrical, thermal and physical properties. The incorporation of additives such as plasticizers into the biopolymers is a common practice to improve these inherent limitations. Generally, plasticizers are added to both synthetic and bio-based polymeric materials to impart flexibility, improve toughness, and lower the glass transition temperature. This review introduces the most common bio-based plastics and provides an overview of recent advances in the selection and use of plasticizers, and their effect on the performance of these materials. In addition to plasticizers, we also present a perspective of other emerging techniques of improving the overall performance of bio-based plastics. Although a wide variety of bio-based plastics are under development, this review focuses on plasticizers utilized for the most extensively studied bioplastics including poly(lactic acid), polyhydroxyalkanoates, thermoplastic starch, proteinaceous plastics and cellulose acetates. The ongoing challenge and future potentials of plasticizers for bio-based plastics are also discussed.

Tensile Properties of Durian Skin Fibre Reinforced Plasticized Polylactic Acid Biocomposites

“…1 shows that adding more plasticizer (EPO) proportionally decreased the tensile strength of PLA. This finding can be explained by the theory of gelation where the presence of the plasticizer weakened the polymer structure thus improves the flexibility of the PLA biopolymer [8]. The low weight of molecular plasticizer molecules reduced and disrupted the polymers interaction which makes the polymer chain hold together [9][10].…”

Bio-Based Coatings for Paper Applications

“…One of the major drawbacks of processing PHB and PLA is their tendency to undergo thermal degradation above their melting temperatures and consequently poor melt stability. Several modifications routes have been followed to improve the melt stability of PHB and PLA such as, blending with plasticizers [17], additives, other thermally stable polymers, or through chemical modification of the polymer backbone by incorporating copolymers [18]. However, despite these modifications, there are still further needs to improve other properties like water vapor and gas permeability, flexibility, and compatibility with natural fibers as reinforcement. )…”

Facile Preparation of Starch-Based Electroconductive Films with Ionic Liquid

“…However, the processing of biopolymers is somewhat challenging due to the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding in their native forms, 2 and the processing conditions usually depend on the identity of the biopolymer. Traditionally, for the film formation, biopolymers have been mostly processed by solution methods (casting), based on a filmforming solution (more rare, dispersion) where biopolymers are first solubilized into a liquid phase.…”