Yoo Jin, Kim Ga Hee, Shim Jun-Yeop, Lee Seok Eon, Kim Shi Hyeong, Lim Taehwan, Son Jun Sik
Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.
Korea Textile Development Institute, Daegu 41842, Republic of Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Feb 18;17(4):527. doi: 10.3390/polym17040527.
Biodegradable polymers are essential for sustainable plastic life cycles and contribute to a carbon-neutral society. Here, we explore the development of biodegradable fibers with excellent mechanical properties using polypropylene (PP) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends. To address the inherent immiscibility between hydrophobic PP and hydrophilic TPS, hydrophilic modification and a masterbatch approach were employed. Melt-spinning trials demonstrated that the modified PP and TPS blends (mPP/TPS) exhibited excellent spinnability and processability comparable to virgin PP. A sheath-core configuration was introduced to enhance biodegradability while maintaining structural stability, with an mPP-rich part as the core and a TPS-rich part with a biodegradable promoter (BP) as the sheath. SEM and DSC analyses confirmed strong interfacial compatibility, uniform fiber morphology, and single melting points, indicating no phase separation. Mechanical testing showed that the sheath-core fibers met industrial requirements, achieving a tenacity of up to 2.47 gf/den and tensile strain above 73%. The addition of a BP increased the biodegradability rate, with PP/TPS/BP fibers achieving 65.93% biodegradation after 115 days, compared to 37.00% for BP-free fibers. These results demonstrate the feasibility of blending petroleum-based polymers with bio-based components to create fibers that balance biodegradability, spinnability, and mechanical performance, offering a sustainable solution for industrial applications.
可生物降解聚合物对于可持续的塑料生命周期至关重要,并有助于实现碳中和社会。在此,我们探索使用聚丙烯(PP)和热塑性淀粉(TPS)共混物开发具有优异机械性能的可生物降解纤维。为了解决疏水性PP和亲水性TPS之间固有的不相容性,采用了亲水性改性和母料法。熔融纺丝试验表明,改性PP和TPS共混物(mPP/TPS)表现出与纯PP相当的优异可纺性和加工性能。引入了皮芯结构以提高生物降解性同时保持结构稳定性,以富含mPP的部分为芯,以富含TPS并含有可生物降解促进剂(BP)的部分为皮。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和差示扫描量热法(DSC)分析证实了强界面相容性、均匀的纤维形态和单一熔点,表明无相分离。力学测试表明,皮芯纤维满足工业要求,断裂强度高达2.47 gf/den,拉伸应变超过73%。BP的添加提高了生物降解率,PP/TPS/BP纤维在115天后实现了65.93%的生物降解,而无BP纤维的生物降解率为37.00%。这些结果证明了将石油基聚合物与生物基组分共混以制造在生物降解性、可纺性和机械性能之间取得平衡的纤维的可行性,为工业应用提供了一种可持续的解决方案。