Abstract
This work reports on the first attempt to prepare bioderived polymer films by blending polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(dodecylene furanoate) (PDoF). This blend, containing 10 wt% PDoF, was filled with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in variable weight fractions (from 0.25 to 2 phr), and the resulting nanocomposites were characterized to assess their microstructural, thermal, mechanical, optical, electrical, and gas barrier properties. The PLA/PDoF blend resulted as immiscible, and the addition of rGO, which preferentially segregated in the PDoF phase, resulted in smaller (from 2.6 to 1.6 µm) and more irregularly shaped PDoF domains and in a higher PLA/PDoF interfacial interaction, which suggests the role of rGO as a blend compatibilizer. rGO also increased PLA crystallinity, and this phenomenon was more pronounced when PDoF was also present, thus evidencing a synergism between PDoF and rGO in accelerating the crystallization kinetics of PLA. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) showed that the glass transition of PDoF, observed at approx. 5 °C, shifted to a higher temperature upon rGO addition. The addition of 10 wt% PDoF in PLA increased the strain at break from 5.3% to 13.0% (+145%), and the addition of 0.25 phr of rGO increased the tensile strength from 35.6 MPa to 40.2 MPa (+13%), without significantly modifying the strain at break. Moreover, rGO decreased the electrical resistivity of the films, and the relatively high percolation threshold (between 1 and 2 phr) was probably linked to the low aspect ratio of rGO nanosheets and their preferential distribution inside PDoF domains. PDoF and rGO also modified the optical transparency of PLA, resulting in a continuous decrease in transmittance in the visible/NIR range. Finally, rGO strongly modified the gas barrier properties, with a remarkable decrease in diffusivity and permeability to gases such as O2, N2, and CO2. Overall, the presented results highlighted the positive and sometimes synergistic role of PDoF and rGO in tuning the thermomechanical and functional properties of PLA, with simultaneous enhancement of ductility, crystallization kinetics, and gas barrier performance, and these novel polymer nanocomposites could thus be promising for packaging applications.
Highlights
Bioplastics, defined as plastics that are derived from renewable resources and/or biodegradable, represent a promising alternative to traditional petroleum-derived polymers [1,2,3]
For the first time, polylactic acid (PLA)/poly(dodecylene furanoate) (PDoF)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite films were prepared by solution casting and their properties were investigated as a function of the presence of PDoF
The characterization of rGO showed that the reduction treatment and the following sonication procedure resulted in rGO nanoparticles with a very high degree of reduction and small lateral dimensions
Summary
Bioplastics, defined as plastics that are derived from renewable resources and/or biodegradable, represent a promising alternative to traditional petroleum-derived polymers [1,2,3]. Can bioplastics show alternative disposal pathways, limiting the amount of plastic waste ending up in our environment, but they allow a considerable reduction in carbon footprint throughout the whole life cycle, from resources extraction to the end of life [4]. These inherent advantages have raised academic and industrial interest towards bioplastics in recent decades, and a substantial effort is being made to translate their intrinsic benefits into applications that are more sustainable and or more efficient than those involving traditional plastics.
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