Masek Anna, Cichosz Stefan
Institute of Polymer and Dye Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 12/16, 90-924 Lodz, Poland.
Polymers (Basel). 2021 May 21;13(11):1677. doi: 10.3390/polym13111677.
The aim of this study is to present the possible influence of natural substances on the aging properties of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) eco-friendly elastic blends. Therefore, the ENR/PLA blends were filled with natural pro-health substances of potentially antioxidative behavior, namely, δ-tocopherol (vitamin E), curcumin, β-carotene and quercetin. In this way, the material biodeterioration potential was maintained and the material's lifespan was prolonged while subjected to increased temperatures or high-energy UVA irradiation (340 nm). The investigation of the samples' properties indicated that curcumin and quercetin are the most promising natural additives that may contribute to the delay of ENR/PLA degradation under the above-mentioned conditions. The efficiency of the proposed new natural anti-aging additives was proven with static mechanical analysis, color change investigation, as well as mass loss during a certain aging. The aging coefficient, which compares the mechanical properties before and after the aging process, indicated that the ENR/PLA performance after 200 h of accelerated aging might decrease only by approximately 30% with the blend loaded with quercetin. This finding paves new opportunities for bio-based and green anti-aging systems employed in polymer technology.
本研究的目的是展示天然物质对环氧化天然橡胶（ENR）和聚乳酸（PLA）环保弹性共混物老化性能的可能影响。因此，ENR/PLA共混物填充了具有潜在抗氧化行为的天然有益健康物质，即δ-生育酚（维生素E）、姜黄素、β-胡萝卜素和槲皮素。通过这种方式，在材料经受升高的温度或高能UVA辐射（340nm）时，其生物降解潜力得以维持，材料寿命得以延长。对样品性能的研究表明，姜黄素和槲皮素是最有前景的天然添加剂，它们可能有助于在上述条件下延缓ENR/PLA的降解。通过静态力学分析、颜色变化研究以及特定老化过程中的质量损失，证明了所提出的新型天然抗老化添加剂的有效性。老化系数用于比较老化过程前后的力学性能，结果表明，在加速老化200小时后，添加槲皮素的共混物的ENR/PLA性能仅可能下降约30%。这一发现为聚合物技术中使用的生物基和绿色抗老化系统开辟了新的机遇。
