Abstract
Polybutylene succinate (PBS)/rice starch (RS) blends were prepared via the hot-melt extrusion technique through the usage of a twin-screw extruder without and containing ionic liquid-based surfactants (ILbS). Two types of ILbS were used, specifically, 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate, [C12mim][OTf] and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C12mim][NTf2] were mixed into the PBS/RS blends at the different contents (0–8 wt.%). The tensile and flexural results showed that the blends containing ILbS have a high tensile extension and tensile energy compared to the blend without ILbS. The blends containing ILbS also have a high flexural extension compared with the blend without ILbS. The blends containing [C12mim][NTf2] have a significant improvement in the tensile energy (up to 239%) and flexural extension (up to 17%) in comparison with the blends containing [C12mim][OTf]. The FTIR spectra demonstrated that the presence of ILbS in the blends generated the intermolecular interactions (ion-dipole force and hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction) between PBS and RS. The DSC results exhibited that the melting points of the prepared blends are decreased with the addition of ILbS. However, the TGA results showed that the thermal decomposition of the blends containing ILbS are higher than the blend without ILbS. The values of decomposition temperature were 387.4 °C, 381.8 °C, and 378.6 °C of PBS/RS-[C12mim][NTf2], PBS/RS-[C12mim][OTf], and PBS/RS, respectively. In conclusion, the ILbS could significantly improve the physicochemical properties of the PBS/RS blends by acting as a compatibilizer.
Highlights
At present, bioplastics such as polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are gaining attention due to their excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity [1]
A bioplastic like PBS has been used as a polymer blend component
It can be seen that the tensile extension of the blend without ionic liquid-based surfactants (ILbS) (0 wt.%) is lower compared to the blends containing ILbS
Summary
Bioplastics such as polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are gaining attention due to their excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity [1]. Blends between bioplastics and biopolymers (for instance, cellulose, starch, and zein) have attracted the interest of numerous researchers as they are easy to prepare, have a low production cost, and can reduce non-biodegradable polymers dependence. In this initial study, a bioplastic like PBS has been used as a polymer blend component. A bioplastic like PBS has been used as a polymer blend component This is due to the fact that PBS has mechanical properties that are comparable to polypropylene in terms of being tough, flexible, and having fatigue resistance. On top of Materials 2020, 13, 1885; doi:10.3390/ma13081885 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
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