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. 2024 Apr 19;16(8):1147.
doi: 10.3390/polym16081147.

Characterization of Biodegradable Polymers for Porous Structure: Further Steps toward Sustainable Plastics

Guilherme M R Lima  1 , Adrivit Mukherjee  1 , Francesco Picchioni  1 , Ranjita K Bose  1
Affiliations

Characterization of Biodegradable Polymers for Porous Structure: Further Steps toward Sustainable Plastics

Guilherme M R Lima et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Plastic pollution poses a significant environmental challenge, necessitating the investigation of bioplastics with reduced end-of-life impact. This study systematically characterizes four promising bioplastics-polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polybutylene succinate (PBS), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and polylactic acid (PLA). Through a comprehensive analysis of their chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties, we elucidate their structural intricacies, processing behaviors, and potential morphologies. Employing an environmentally friendly process utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide, we successfully produced porous materials with microcellular structures. PBAT, PBS, and PLA exhibit closed-cell morphologies, while PHBV presents open cells, reflecting their distinct overall properties. Notably, PBAT foam demonstrated an average porous area of 1030.86 μm2, PBS showed an average porous area of 673 μm2, PHBV displayed open pores with an average area of 116.6 μm2, and PLA exhibited an average porous area of 620 μm2. Despite the intricacies involved in correlating morphology with material properties, the observed variations in pore area sizes align with the findings from chemical, thermal, and mechanical characterization. This alignment enhances our understanding of the morphological characteristics of each sample. Therefore, here, we report an advancement and comprehensive research in bioplastics, offering deeper insights into their properties and potential morphologies with an easy sustainable foaming process. The alignment of the process with sustainability principles, coupled with the unique features of each polymer, positions them as environmentally conscious and versatile materials for a range of applications.

Keywords: biodegradable; bioplastics; foam; supercritical carbon dioxide; sustainability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA with their respective protons assigned with the number corresponding to the NMR proton resonance signals in ppm.
Figure 2
Figure 2
1H-NMR spectra of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FTIR spectra of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA (a) TGA plots and (b) the maximum rate of degradation as shown by derivative thermogram (DTG).
Figure 5
Figure 5
PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA DSC thermogram results displaying (a) first cooling and (b) second heating.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Modulus of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA samples as a function of temperature, measured at 1.0 rad·s−1 and 1.0% strain.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Modulus of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA samples as a function of angular frequency, measured at their respective melting temperatures (Tm) and 1.0% strain.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Representative SEM imaging of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA porous material foamed under equivalent processing conditions, resulting in different foam morphologies.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Cell size distributions of PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and PLA foamed at their respective Tm and 15 MPa.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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