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Biobased blends of poly(propylene carbonate) and poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate): Fabrication and characterization
Author(s) -
Enriquez Eugene,
Mohanty Amar K.,
Misra Manjusri
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.44420
Subject(s) - crystallinity , materials science , differential scanning calorimetry , propylene carbonate , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , polymer , crystallization , thermal stability , chemical engineering , amorphous solid , scanning electron microscope , polymer blend , dispersion (optics) , bioplastic , miscibility , polymer chemistry , composite material , copolymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , electrode , electrochemistry , optics , biology , engineering , thermodynamics , ecology
Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), a CO 2 ‐based bioplastic and poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) were melt blended followed by injection molding. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detected an interaction between the macromolecules from the reduction in the OH peak and a shift in the CO peak. The onset degradation temperature of the polymer blends was improved by 5% and 19% in comparison to PHBV and PPC, respectively. Blending PPC with PHBV reduced the melting and crystallization temperatures and crystallinity of the latter as observed through differential scanning calorimetry. The amorphous nature of PPC affected the thermal properties of PHBV by hindering the spherulitic growth and diluting the crystalline region. Scanning electron micrographs presented a uniform dispersion and morphology of the blends, which lead to balanced mechanical properties. Incorporating PHBV, a stiff semi‐crystalline polymer improved the dimensional stability of PPC by restricting the motion of its polymer chains. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44420.