Abstract
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a biodegradable polymer synthesized from petrochemical resources. PBAT has an exceptionally high elongation at break values which makes it one of the most promising substitutes for LDPE packaging films. However, the applicability of PBAT films is still limited by low strength and high production costs. In this work, we used polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG-600) as a coating agent to modify the surface of calcium carbonate and improve compatibility with the polymer matrix. A series of PBAT/CaCO3 composite films having different CaCO3 particle size and content of coating agent was prepared using extrusion blow molding. The effect of particle size of CaCO3 filler and the content of a coating agent on the mechanical and rheological properties of composite films have been studied. The biodegradation properties have been tested by burying the samples in soil or keeping them in artificial seawater for 90 days. It was shown that the addition of PEG-600 improves compatibility between the matrix and CaCO3 filler as polar –OH groups of PEG have a high affinity toward the polar surface of CaCO3. Moreover, the hydrophilicity of PEG-600 increased the diffusivity of water molecules and facilitated PBAT degradation. This work provides experimental data and theoretical guidance that support the development of high-performance PBAT/calcium carbonate films for the single use packaging industry.
Highlights
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a biodegradable plastic with excellent mechanical properties
PBAT appeared on the market about a decade ago, the use of neat PBAT film products is limited by the high production costs and lower strength compared with LDPE as the most used packaging film material [9,10,11]
The effect of particle size and the amount of coating agent on mechanical and rheological properties of PBAT/CaCO3 composite films was studied in detail
Summary
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a biodegradable plastic with excellent mechanical properties. We hoped that the addition of dispersant instead of coupling agent would improve the mechanical properties of PBAT/calcium carbonate composite films and accelerate biodegradation. The effect of particle size and the amount of coating agent on mechanical and rheological properties of PBAT/CaCO3 composite films was studied in detail. The Degradation of PBAT/CaCO3 Films in Soil The soil degradation experiments were conducted by burying the samples at the lake coast in the western part of Beijing, PRC. More details about this procedure can be found in Polymers 2022, 14, 484. Characterization A detailed procedure for structure characterization and performance evaluation is described in Supporting Information
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