Abstract
Over the past 25 years, cannabis plants have gained major popularity in the research community. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity and stabilization efficiency of cannabidiol (CBD) extract in two different polymers: polylactide (PLA) and ethylene–norbornene copolymer (Topas) that are used in packaging materials more often. The research technology included weathering in a special chamber, surface free energy and color change measurements, surface morphology and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, thermogravimetry, and determination of the oxidation induction time or temperature (OIT) values, based on which the effectiveness of the cannabidiol extract could be estimated. Obtained results showed that the addition of CBD to polymer mixtures significantly increased their resistance to oxidation, and it can be used as a natural stabilizer for polymeric products. Moreover, samples with cannabidiol changed their coloration as a result of weathering. Therefore, this natural additive can also be considered as a colorimetric indicator of aging that informs about the changes in polymeric materials during their lifetime. On the other hand, surface properties of samples with cannabidiol content did not alter much compared to pure Topas and PLA.
Highlights
Due to the light weight, low cost, and high efficiency of plastics, combined with easy processability, their deployment in packaging materials has grown significantly in recent years [1]
Polylactide is a biodegradable polymer, which is characterized by the following properties: Melt Flow Index (MFI) = 6 g/10 min, Tm = 145–160 ◦C, and Tg = 55–60 ◦C.As is a natural additive in the role of PLA and Topas stabilizer, cannabidiol (CBD) extract, which is one of the identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and completely tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) free at a concentration of 1 phr was used
The obtained results showed that it can be successfully used as an antioxidant because for ethylene–norbornene copolymer and polylactide samples with CBD content, an increase in the oxidative-induction time/temperature (OIT) parameter value was observed, which could be caused by the content of two hydroxyl groups in its structure
Summary
Due to the light weight, low cost, and high efficiency of plastics, combined with easy processability, their deployment in packaging materials has grown significantly in recent years [1]. By 2050, the production of plastic packaging is anticipated to exceed 250 million metric tons [2,3]. This forecast has become disturbing due to serious environmental pollution problems. Most of the synthetic polymeric materials are designed for good strength and efficiency without taking into account their degradability or recyclability. Scientists have attempted to produce new materials that are more environmentally friendly or whose degradation process can be controlled [6,7,8,9,10]
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