Abstract
Lactide-valerolactone copolymers have potential application in the packaging sector. Different copolymers were synthesized, and the kinetics of the copolymerization reactions and the microstructure of the copolymers were analysed. Lactide showed higher reactivity than valerolactone which leads to composition drift through the reaction. Thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of the selected copolymers were studied. Overall, the incorporation of valerolactone results in copolymers with higher ductility than poly(lactide) with intermediate water and oxygen permeability which makes these materials appropriate candidates for use in the packaging sector.
Highlights
Lactide-Valerolactone CopolymersNowadays the materials used on the market, such as polyolefins ((poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene)) and poly(ethylene terephthalate), are contributing to the problem of plastic waste since they are obtained from petroleum, and they cannot be degraded [1–5].Bearing in mind these issues, in recent years, biodegradable polymers have attracted great attention since they can be degraded to biomass, carbon dioxide, water and similar substances, and no waste is generated [1–4]
We studied the suitability of lactide-caprolactone copolymers for packaging applications [11]
In order to analyse the suitability of lactide-valerolactone copolymers in packaging
Summary
Nowadays the materials used on the market, such as polyolefins ((poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene)) and poly(ethylene terephthalate), are contributing to the problem of plastic waste since they are obtained from petroleum, and they cannot be degraded [1–5] Bearing in mind these issues, in recent years, biodegradable polymers have attracted great attention since they can be degraded to biomass, carbon dioxide, water and similar substances, and no waste is generated [1–4]. Lactide based copolymers based on caprolactone, valerolactone, decalactone, ethylene brassylate and other lactones have been synthetized, and their degradation has been widely studied [12–17]. These materials could have a potential application in packaging, and for that, the barrier character of the materials must be studied. For selected copolymers, the physico-chemical properties were studied, focusing on permeability to gases and vapours and the mechanical properties in order to analyse the suitability of these materials in packaging applications
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