Morphological, thermal, and thermomechanical properties of cellulose nanocrystals reinforced polylactide/poly [(butylene succinate)-co-adipate] blend composite foams

Functional Composite Materials

Simphiwe Zungu¹  Jayita Bandyopadhyay¹  Mpho Phillip Motloung²  Vincent Ojijo²  Suprakas Sinha Ray² 

[1] Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, DSI-CSIR Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa;Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, DSI-CSIR Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa;Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, Johannesburg, South Africa;

关键词: PLA/PBSA blend;    Foam morphology;    Cellulose nanocrystal;    Thermal properties;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s42252-020-00011-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

This study examines the influence of cellulose nanocrystal (CN) particles on the morphological, thermal, and thermo-mechanical properties of polylactide (PLA)/poly [(butylene succinate)-co-adipate] (PBSA) blend foams prepared by casting and particulate leaching method using fructose as porogen particles. The morphological analysis showed an interconnected open-cell structure, with porosity above 80%. The crystallinity of the prepared foams was disrupted by the inclusion of CN particles as observed from XRD analyses, which showed a decrease in PLA crystal peak intensity. With regards to neat blend foam, the onset thermal degradation increased with the addition of CN particles, which also increased the thermal stability at 50% weight loss. Furthermore, CN acted as a reinforcing agent in improving the stiffness of the prepared blend foam. Overall, completely environmentally friendly foams were successfully prepared, as a potential material that can replace the current existing foam materials that pose many environmental concerns. However, there is a need to develop an environmentally friendly processing technique.

【 授权许可】

CC BY