Reusable, Recyclable, and Biodegradable Heat-Shrinkable Melt Cross-Linked Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Pulp Biocomposites for Polyvinyl Chloride Replacement
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2024

Heat-shrinkable films are widely used as disposable secondary packaging but are conventionally made from fossil-based and nonbiodegradable polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. To lower the environmental impact of such products, this work reports the development of recyclable, biodegradable, and partially biosourced heat-shrinkable biocomposites that are cost-competitive with existing shrink wraps. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), a growing biodegradable thermoplastic, was simultaneously reinforced with pulp fibers and partially cross-linked in a single-step reactive melt processing. The designed peroxide-initiated reaction led to a 55 wt % cocontinuous insoluble gel incorporating all the pulp fibers into a cross-linked polymer network. In the solid state, the cross-linked biocomposite shows 60% elongation at break with a 200% increase in Young’s modulus, while the only addition of pulp fibers stiffens and embrittles the matrix. Creep tests in the melt state indicated that the cross-linked network induces homogeneous shrinking even during the loading phase, demonstrating the potential use of the biocomposites as heat-shrinkable films. The shrinking also promotes the shape-memory of the biocomposite, which retains its dimensions after four cycles. The circularity of the materials was assessed by mechanical recycling and industrial composting, which have proven feasible end-of-life options for heat-shrinkable biocomposites.

heat-shrinkable films

PBAT

end-of-life

pulp fibers

reactive extrusion

Författare

Angelica Avella

Chalmers, Industri- och materialvetenskap, Konstruktionsmaterial

Mathieu Salse

Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC)

Matériaux : Ingénierie et science

Student vid Chalmers

Valentina Sessini

Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC)

Chalmers, Industri- och materialvetenskap, Konstruktionsmaterial

Universidad de Alcala

Rosica Mincheva

Universite de Mons

Giada Lo Re

Chalmers, Industri- och materialvetenskap, Konstruktionsmaterial

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

2168-0485 (eISSN)

Vol. 12 13 5251-5262

Ämneskategorier

Polymerkemi

Polymerteknologi

Materialkemi

DOI

10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c00012

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2024-04-13