Mokrane Nawel, Kaci Mustapha, Lopez-Cuesta José-Marie, Dehouche Nadjet
Laboratoire des Matériaux Polymères Avancés, Faculté de Technologie, Université de Bejaia, Béjaïa 06000, Algeria.
Polymères Composites et Hybrides (PCH), IMT Mines Ales, 6, Avenue de Clavières, 30319 Alès, France.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Sep 27;16(19):6438. doi: 10.3390/ma16196438.
Given the global challenge of plastic pollution, the development of new bioplastics to replace conventional polymers has become a priority. It is therefore essential to achieve a balance in the performances of biopolymers in order to improve their commercial availability. In this topic, this study aims to investigate the morphology and properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/ poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) (at a ratio of 75/25 (/)) blends reinforced with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and compatibilized with poly(lactic acid)-grafted maleic anhydride (PLA--MA). HNTs and PLA--MA were added to the polymer blend at 5 and 10 wt.%, respectively, and everything was processed via melt compounding. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that HNTs are preferentially localized in PHBHHx nodules rather than in the PLA matrix due to its higher wettability. When HNTs are combined with PLA--MA, a finer and a more homogeneous morphology is observed, resulting in a reduction in the size of PHBHHx nodules. The presence of HNTs in the polymer blend improves the impact strength from 12.7 to 20.9 kJ/mm. Further, with the addition of PLA--MA to PLA/PHBHHX/HNT nanocomposites, the tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact strength all improve significantly, rising from roughly 42 MPa, 14.5%, and 20.9 kJ/mm to nearly 46 MPa, 18.2%, and 31.2 kJ/mm, respectively. This is consistent with the data obtained via dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The thermal stability of the compatibilized blend reinforced with HNTs is also improved compared to the non-compatibilized one. Overall, this study highlights the effectiveness of combining HNTs and PLA--AM for the properties enhancement of PLA/PHBHHx blends.
鉴于塑料污染带来的全球挑战，开发新型生物塑料以取代传统聚合物已成为当务之急。因此，为提高生物聚合物的商业可用性，在其性能上实现平衡至关重要。在本课题中，本研究旨在探究用埃洛石纳米管（HNTs）增强并与聚乳酸接枝马来酸酐（PLA-MA）增容的聚乳酸（PLA）/聚（3-羟基丁酸酯-co-3-羟基己酸酯）（PHBHHx）（比例为75/25（/））共混物的形态和性能。分别以5 wt.%和10 wt.%的比例将HNTs和PLA-MA添加到聚合物共混物中，并通过熔融共混进行加工。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）分析表明，由于HNTs具有更高的润湿性，其优先定位于PHBHHx结节中而非PLA基体中。当HNTs与PLA-MA结合时，可观察到更精细且更均匀的形态，导致PHBHHx结节尺寸减小。聚合物共混物中HNTs的存在将冲击强度从12.7 kJ/mm提高到20.9 kJ/mm。此外，向PLA/PHBHHX/HNT纳米复合材料中添加PLA-MA后，拉伸强度、断裂伸长率和冲击强度均显著提高，分别从约42 MPa、14.5%和20.9 kJ/mm升至近46 MPa、18.2%和31.2 kJ/mm。这与通过动态力学分析（DMA）获得的数据一致。与未增容的共混物相比，用HNTs增强的增容共混物的热稳定性也有所提高。总体而言，本研究突出了将HNTs和PLA-AM结合用于增强PLA/PHBHHx共混物性能的有效性。
