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Sangroniz L, Safari M, Martínez de Ilarduya A, Sardon H, Cavallo D, Müller AJ. Disappearance of Melt Memory Effect with Comonomer Incorporation in Isodimorphic Random Copolyesters. Macromolecules 2023; 56:7879-7888. [PMID: 37841533 PMCID: PMC10569436 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Melt memory effects in polymer crystallization have attracted much attention in the past few years. Although progress has been made in understanding how the chemical structure of polymers can affect melt memory, there are still some knowledge gaps. In this work, we study how incorporating a second comonomer unit that is partially included in the crystalline unit cell affects the melt memory effect of the major component in a random isodimorphic copolymer for the first time. This second comonomer unit depresses the melting temperature of the homopolymer, reduces the crystallinity, and distorts the crystalline unit cell. However, its effect on the stability of self-nuclei and the production of melt memory has not been studied so far. To this aim, we have selected poly[(butylene succinate)-ran-(ε-caprolactone)] random copolyesters PBS-ran-PCL that are isodimorphic, i.e., they exhibit a pseudoeutectic point. This point separates the formation of BS-rich crystals from CL-rich crystals as a function of composition. The results reveal that the melt memory effect of these isodimorphic copolymers is strongly reduced with the incorporation of even very small amounts of comonomer unit (i.e., 1 molar %). This indicates that the incorporation of a second comonomer unit in the polymer chain disrupts the intermolecular interactions present between the chain segments in the crystal lattice of the major component and reduces the capacity of the material to produce self-nuclei. This reduction is more drastic for copolymers in which the second comonomer unit is mostly rejected from the crystalline phase. Contrary to olefin-based copolymers, for copolyesters, the second comonomer unit eases the process to reach an isotropic melt state upon melting. This work reveals the impact of introducing comonomer units on the melt memory effect in isodimorphic random copolyesters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leire Sangroniz
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry,
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Maryam Safari
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry,
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Physical
Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University
& Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Antxon Martínez de Ilarduya
- Department
d’Enginyeria Química, Universitat
Politècnica de Catalunya, ETSEIB, Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Haritz Sardon
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry,
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Dario Cavallo
- Department
of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University
of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Alejandro J. Müller
- POLYMAT
and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry,
and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University
of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal, 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
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Arman Alim AA, Baharum A, Mohammad Shirajuddin SS, Anuar FH. Blending of Low-Density Polyethylene and Poly(Butylene Succinate) (LDPE/PBS) with Polyethylene-Graft-Maleic Anhydride (PE-g-MA) as a Compatibilizer on the Phase Morphology, Mechanical and Thermal Properties. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15020261. [PMID: 36679142 PMCID: PMC9860711 DOI: 10.3390/polym15020261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is of significant concern that the buildup of non-biodegradable plastic waste in the environment may result in long-term issues with the environment, the economy and waste management. In this study, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was compounded with different contents of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) at 10-50 wt.%, to evaluate the potential of replacing commercial plastics with a biodegradable renewable polymer, PBS for packaging applications. The morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of the LDPE/PBS blends were examined in relation to the effect of polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) as a compatibilizer. LDPE/PBS/PE-g-MA blends were fabricated via the melt blending method using an internal mixer and then were compression molded into test samples. The presence of LDPE, PBS and PE-g-MA individually in the matrix for each blend presented physical interaction between the constituents, as shown by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphology of LDPE/PBS/PE-g-MA blends showed improved compatibility and homogeneity between the LDPE matrix and PBS phase. Compatibilized LDPE/PBS blends showed an improvement in the tensile strength, with 5 phr of compatibilizer providing the optimal content. The thermal stability of LDPE/PBS blends decreased with higher PBS content and the thermal stability of compatibilized blends was higher in contrast to the uncompatibilized blends. Therefore, our research demonstrated that the partial substitution of LDPE with a biodegradable PBS and the incorporation of the PE-g-MA compatibilizer could develop an innovative blend with improved structural, mechanical and thermal properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Aqila Arman Alim
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Azizah Baharum
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
- Polymer Research Center (PORCE), Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Farah Hannan Anuar
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
- Polymer Research Center (PORCE), Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
- Correspondence:
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Peñas MI, Pérez-Camargo RA, Hernández R, Müller AJ. A Review on Current Strategies for the Modulation of Thermomechanical, Barrier, and Biodegradation Properties of Poly (Butylene Succinate) (PBS) and Its Random Copolymers. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:1025. [PMID: 35267848 PMCID: PMC8914744 DOI: 10.3390/polym14051025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of plastics on the environment can be mitigated by employing biobased and/or biodegradable materials (i.e., bioplastics) instead of the traditional "commodities". In this context, poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) emerges as one of the most promising alternatives due to its good mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties, making it suitable for use in a wide range of applications. Still, the PBS has some drawbacks, such as its high crystallinity, which must be overcome to position it as a real and viable alternative to "commodities". This contribution covers the actual state-of-the-art of the PBS through different sections. The first section reviews the different synthesis routes, providing a complete picture regarding the obtained molecular weights and the greener alternatives. Afterward, we examine how different strategies such as random copolymerization and the incorporation of fillers can effectively modulate PBS properties to satisfy the needs for different applications. The impact of these strategies is evaluated in the crystallization behavior, crystallinity, mechanical and barrier properties, and biodegradation. The biodegradation is carefully analyzed, highlighting the wide variety of methodologies existing in the literature to measure PBS degradation through different routes (hydrolytic, enzymatic, and soil).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Iván Peñas
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology ICTP-CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Ricardo Arpad Pérez-Camargo
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Engineering Plastics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;
| | - Rebeca Hernández
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology ICTP-CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Alejandro J. Müller
- POLYMAT and Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
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