Abstract
Thermoplastic elastomer blends based on natural rubber (NR) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) with different weight ratios (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 parts per hundred rubber (phr) of NR) and 10, 20 and 30 phr of straw were prepared and characterized. Current environmental problems were the motivation to produce this type of system, namely: the need to replace plastics at least partly with natural materials; increasing the amount of renewable raw materials and managing excess straw production. When using this bioadditive in traditional materials, the high processing temperature can be problematic, leading to the degradation of straw fibers. The solution can be polymer mixtures that are prepared at significantly lower temperatures. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging was used to investigate the particle size of fibers and phase morphology of composites. Moreover, determination of the thermal properties of the filler and composites showed that the processing temperature used in the production of NR/EVA blends reduces the risk of degradation of the natural filler. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the thermal behavior of the filled composites. Finally, rheological tests of materials allow the determination of optimal processing parameters and properties of materials in dynamic conditions. The proposed blends exhibit elastic properties, and due to the lack of chemical cross-linking they can be processed and recycled like thermoplastics. In addition, they offset the disadvantages and combine the advantages of natural rubber and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in the form of thermoplastic elastomeric biocomposites.
Highlights
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are materials that are attracting growing interest from the scientific community
The properties of all thermoplastic elastomers depend on the type, structure, dispersion and percentage content of both phases, the way they are connected, the nature and strength of interfacial interactions, as well as the presence of other substances that modify the properties of the phases or interactions between them [3]
All curves had three regions representing the loading of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), natural rubber (NR) and straw, respectively
Summary
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are materials that are attracting growing interest from the scientific community. Within a certain temperature range, these materials combine the properties of crosslinked rubbers with the possibility of easy processing and recycling of thermoplastics [1] They are characterized by phase micro-heterogeneity and domain morphology. In the case of a combination of NR and EVA, it is possible to try to use non-standard fillers to obtain blends with unique properties An example of such a solution is the idea of adding biofillers in the form of lignocellulosic materials, one of which is cereal straw, to NR/EVA systems. An alternative use of straw is to apply it to products in the horticultural, industrial, construction and energy industries, and the key criterion determining the way it is used is usually the economic calculation [17] All of these straw management methods have significant disadvantages, and the surpluses of straw produced are increasing. The study of the obtained composites was preceded by characterization of cereal straw including its structural analysis and thermal stability
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