The preparation and performance of poly(butylene adipate) terephthalate/corn stalk composites

Abstract

Poly (butylene adipate) terephthalate (PBAT) and corn stalk (CS) are both biodegradable materials. The high cost of PBAT limits its range of applications. In this paper, a biodegradable composite was prepared by melt-blending PBAT with CS as a filler. PBAT and different amounts of CS were melted in an internal mixer. The compatibility of CS with PBAT or with a modified PBAT (MPBAT) and its dispersion in either of them were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and other test methods. The properties of PBAT/CS or MPBAT/CS composites were investigated by evaluating the following: mechanical properties, contact angle, water absorption, oxygen permeability, and water vapor permeability. It was found that CS and MPBAT had good compatibility. The results from soil burial experiment results showed that the biodegradability of the two composites increased with CS. CS showed great potential in biomass composites. Compared with PBAT/CS composites, MPBAT/CS composites had higher tensile properties and better barrier ability. The introduction of biomass fillers in MPBAT would promote the application of biodegradable materials in the field of environmentally friendly packaging materials.