Preparation/characterization of plasticized poly ( Lactic acid) for packaging applications

In this research an attempt is made to modify the brittle poly (Lactic acid) (PLA) into flexible PLA by adding Poly (Butylene Succinate) (PBS), Poly (Ethylene Glycol) (PEG) and Ricinoleic acid (R.ACID) as a plasticizer. Various plasticizers with different weight % of plasticizers - 10%, 20% and 30% in wt% for PLA/PBS, 5, 10 and 15% for PLA/PEG and PLA/R.ACID are used to make sheets. With the addition of plasticizers, the failure mode changes from brittle fracture of neat PLA to ductile fracture of the plasticized PLA, upon plasticization glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased from 62°C to 46ºC. With the increase of plasticizers content, the tensile strength and modulus of the PLA decreased slightly while the elongation at break and toughness of plasticized PLA were increased (from 5.7 to 11.9%). Further tear strength increased to maximum value of 36 MPa. SEM analysis confirms that plasticizers were uniformly distributed in PLA matrix

Polyethylene/Polyhydroxyalkanoates-based Biocomposites and Bionanocomposites

The development of advanced polymer composite materials having superior mechanical properties has opened up new horizons in the field of science and engineering. Polyethylene (PE) is considered one of the most widely used thermoplastics in the world due to its excellent properties which have excellent chemical inertness, low coefficient of friction, toughness, near-zero moisture absorption, ease of processing and electrical properties. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are garnering increasing attention in the biodegradable polymer market because of their promising properties such as high biodegradability in different environments. This chapter covers polyethylene/polyhydroxyalkanoates-based biocomposites and bionanocomposites. It summarizes many of the recent research accomplishments in the area of PE/PHAs-based biocomposites and bionanocomposites such as state-of-the-art regarding different methods of their preparation. Also discussed are different characterization techniques and use of PE/PHAs-based biocomposites and bionanocomposites in biomedical, packaging, structural, military, coating, fire retardant, aerospace and optical applications, along with recycling and lifetime studies