Synthesis of natural rubber-g-maleic anhydride and its use as a compatibilizer in natural rubber/short nylon fiber composites

Natural rubber grafted maleic anhydride (NR-g-MAH) was synthesized by mixing maleic anhydride (MAH) and natural rubber (NR) in solid state in a torque rheometer using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as initiator. Then the self-prepared NR-g-MAH was used as a compatibilizer in the natural rubber/short nylon fiber composites. Both the functionalization of NR with MAH and the reaction between the modified rubber and the nylon fiber were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Composites with different nylon short fiber loadings (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 phr) were compounded on a two-roll mill, and the effects of the NR-g-MAH on the tensile and thermal properties, fiber-rubber interaction, as well as the morphology of the natural rubber/short nylon fiber composites were investigated. At equal fiber loading, the NR-g-MAH compatibilized NR/short nylon fiber composites showed improved tensile properties, especially the tensile modulus at 100% strain which was about 1.5 times that of the corresponding un-compatibilized ones. The equilibrium swelling tests proved that the incorporation of NR-g-MAH increased the interaction between the nylon fibers and the NR matrix. The crosslink density measured with NMR techniques showed that the NR-g-MAH compatiblized composites had lower total crosslink density. The glass transition temperatures of the compatibilized composites were about 1 K higher than that of the corresponding un-compabilized ones. Morphology analysis of the NR/short nylon fiber composites confirmed NR-g-MAH improved interfacial bonding between the NR matrix and the nylon fibers. All these results signified that the NR-g-MAH could act as a good compatilizer of NR/short nylon fiber composites and had a potential for wide use considering its easy to be prepared and compounded with the composites.     

末端为磷酰胆碱基团的聚丁二酸丁二醇酯的酶促降解和热性能

以聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)为参照, 研究了酯酶Lipase AY30对亲水磷酰胆碱(PC)基团改性的聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS-PC)的生物降解性能的影响. 结果显示, 在酯酶Lipase AY30作用下, 21 d后PBS的质量损失仅为1.9%, 而PBS-PC的质量损失了9.7%. 相同条件下扣除各自水解引起的质量损失(PBS 1.4%和PBS-PC 6.5%)后, PC亲水基团的引入对聚合物的降解起到了促进作用. 示差扫描量热(DSC)研究结果表明, 改性后的聚合物熔融温度和熔融焓降低, 玻璃化转变温度升高, 表明PC端基的引入降低了PBS的结晶能力, 非晶相结构的增多对聚合物降解有促进作用. 因此PBS-PC有望作为一种新的具有良好生物降解性和生物相容性的高分子材料, 应用于药物控释、基因治疗及组织工程等生物医用材料领域.     

Melt processing of maleic anhydride grafted poly(lactic acid) and its compatibilizing effect on poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-terephthalate) blend and their composite

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends were prepared using melt processing. The effects of maleic anhydride grafted PLA (PLA-g-MA) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) content on mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the blends were investigated. PLA-g-MA was synthesized by varying monomer and initiator contents using a reactive melt-grafting process. Tensile properties of PLA/PBAT blend were enhanced with adding 2 phr of PLA-g-MA. SEM micrographs exhibited the improvement of interfacial adhesion between PLA and PBAT in the compatibilized blend. Moreover, thermal stability of the blends improved with presence of PLA-g-MA. With increasing CaCO₃ content, Young’s modulus of the composites increased.     

Effects of crystallization temperature and blend ratio on the crystal structure of poly(butylene adipate) in the poly(butylene adipate)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

The effects of crystallization temperature and blend ratio on the polymorphic crystal structures of poly(butylene adipate)(PBA) in poly(butylene succinate)(PBS)/poly(butylene adipate)(PBS/PBA) blends were studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction(XRD) and atomic force microscopy(AFM). It was revealed that the polymorphism of PBA can be regulated by the blend ratio even in a non-isothermal crystallization process. The results demonstrate that high temperature favors flat-on α crystals, while low temperature contributes to edge-on β crystals. It was also found that the effect of blend ratio on the crystallization mechanism of PBA is well coincident with that of the crystallization temperature. The increment of PBS content in the PBS/PBA blend gives rise to more β-form crystals of PBA. For those PBS/PBA blends with low PBA content, the interlamellar phase segregation of PBA makes its molecular chains so difficult to diffuse from one isolated microdomain to another that high crystallization temperature and sufficiently long crystallization time will be required if the PBA α-type crystals are targeted.     

Synergistic effect of compatibilizer and sepiolite on the morphology of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

Blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with different PHBV/PBS weight ratios (100/0, 75/25, 50/50 and 0/100) were elaborated by melt mixing. The morphological investigation of the different samples, in comparison with that of neat PHBV and neat PBS, pointed out that PHBV/PBS blends form a biphasic system over the whole composition range. Low amount of compatibilizing agent (5 wt%), obtained by grafting maleic anhydride (MA) onto PHBV, i.e. PHBV-g-MA, was used for improving the miscibility between the two components of the blend. The incorporation of a fibrous filler as the sepiolite, easily dispersible in a polymer matrix, was also investigated. The morphology of the different blends as well as the evolution of their material properties were discussed in terms of the sepiolite and compatibilizing agent contents. The dispersion of PBS in the PHBV matrix markedly became finer with incorporation of sepiolite and PHBV-g-MA, due to enhanced interactions between the components. This paper highlighted a synergistic effect induced by the presence of both compatibilizer and sepiolite leading to an improved miscibility of the two blend components. The resulting properties were correlated with the morphology observed for the different blends.     

Improved biocompatibility of phosphorylcholine end-capped poly(butylene succinate)

In this work, the biocompatibility of a biomimetic, fully biodegradable ionomer phosphorylcholine (PC)-functionalized poly(butylene succinate) (PBS-PC) was investigated by means of hemolysis, platelet adhesion, protein adsorption and cytotox- icity experiments. The reference materials were poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and chloroethylphosphoryl functionalized poly(butylene succinate) (PBS-Cl). The hemolysis rates (HR) of the leaching solutions of PBS, PBS-Cl and PBS-PC were all lower than the safe value, and the rate of PBS-PC was reduced to 1.07%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements showed that platelet adhesion and aggregation were significant on both PBS and PBS-Cl surface. In contrast, very few platelets were observed on PBS-PC surface. Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) measurements revealed that the adsorption amounts of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine plasma fibrinogen (BPF) on PBS-PC surface were 52% and 72% reduction respectively compared with those on PBS surface. Moreover, non-cytotoxicity of both PBS-PC particles and its leaching solution was sug- gested by MTT assay using mouse L929 fibroblast cells. All the results demonstrated that the biocompatibility of PBS could be greatly improved by PC end-capping strategy. This PC functionalized polyester may have potential applications in biological environments as a novel carrier for controlled drug release and scaffold for tissue engineering.     

Thermal behaviors and characteristics of polylactide/poly(butylene succinate) blend films via reactive compatibilization and plasticization

Polylactide (PLA)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blend films modified with a compatibilizer and a plasticizer were hot‐melted through a twin screw extruder and prepared by hydraulic press. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and polylactide‐grafted‐maleic anhydride (PLA‐g‐MA) were used as compatibilizers, while triethyl citrate and tricresyl phosphate acted as plasticizers. The effects of the type and content of compatibilizer and plasticizer on the mechanical characteristics, thermal properties, crystallization behavior, and phase morphology of the PLA/PBS blend films were investigated. Reactive compatibilization at increasing levels of TDI improved the compatibility of the PLA and PBS, affecting the toughness of the films. As evidenced by scanning electron microscope, the addition of TDI enhanced the interfacial adhesion of the blends, leading to the appearance of many elongated fibrils at the fracture surface. Furthermore, PLA/PBS blending with both TDI and PLA‐g‐MA led to an acceleration of the cold crystallization rate and an increment of the degree of crystallinity ( ). Toluene diisocyanate could be a more effective compatibilizer than PLA‐g‐MA for PLA/PBS blend films. The synergistic combination of compatibilizer and plasticizer brought a significant improvement in elongation at break and tensile‐impact toughness of the PLA/PBS blends, compared with neat PLA. Their failure mode changed from brittle to ductile due to the improved compatibility and molecular segment mobility of the PLA and PBS phases. Differential scanning calorimeter results revealed that the plasticizers triethyl citrate and tricresyl phosphate changed the thermal behavior of T_cc and T_m, affecting α′ and α crystal formations. However, these plasticizers only slightly improved the thermal stability of the films.     

Studies of ABS-graft-maleic anhydride/clay nanocomposites: Morphologies, thermal stability and flammability properties

ABS-g-MAH (maleic anhydride) with different grafting degree, ABS/OMT (organo montmorillonite) and ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites were prepared via melt blending. The grafting reaction, phase morphology, clay dispersion, thermal properties, dynamic mechanical properties and flammability properties were investigated. FTIR spectra results indicate that maleic anhydride was successfully grafted onto butadiene chains of the ABS backbone in the molten state using dicumyl peroxide as the initiator and styrene as the comonomer and the relative grafting degree increased with increasing loading of MAH. TEM images show the size of the dispersed rubber domains of ABS-g-MAH increased and the dispersion is more uniform than that of neat ABS resin. XRD and TEM results show that intercalated/exfoliated structure formed in ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites and the rubber phase intercalated into clay layers distributed in both SAN phase and rubber phase. TGA results reveal the intercalated/exfoliated structure of ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites has better barrier properties and thermal stability than intercalated ones of ABS/OMT nanocomposites. The T_g of ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites was also higher than that of neat ABS/OMT nanocomposites. The results of cone measurements show that ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites exhibit significantly reduced flammability when compared to ABS/OMT nanocomposites even at the same clay content. The chars of ABS-g-MAH/OMT nanocomposites were tighter, denser, more integrated and fewer surface microcracks than ABS/OMT residues.     

Hydrolytic Degradation and Monomer Recovery of Poly(butylene succinate) and Poly(butylene succinate/adipate) in the Melt

Aliphatic dicarboxylic acid/aliphatic diol‐derived polyesters, poly(butylene succinate) and poly(butylene succinate/adipate), have been hydrolytically degraded in the melt in high‐temperature and high‐pressure water over a wide temperature range of 180–300 °C for periods of up to 30 min. The formation/decomposition of succinic acid (SA), adipic acid (AA), and butane‐1,4‐diol (BD), plus the molecular weight change of PBS and PBSA were then investigated. SA and AA were recovered at maximum yields of 65–80%, whereas BD was recovered at a maximum yield of only 30%, probably because of its decomposition. The obtained results were compared with those reported for aliphatic hydroxycarboxylic acid‐derived polyesters and aromatic dicarboxylic acid/aliphatic diol‐derived polyesters.

     

Syntheses of Poly(butylene succinate) by Means of Non-Toxic Catalysts

The usefulness of bismuth, calcium, magnesium and zinc salts for the preparation of poly(butylene succinate), PBSu, was studied. Two different approaches were compared. Firstly, 1,4-butanediol (or in a few experiments ethanediol) dimethyl succinate were condensed at temperatures up to 240°C in the presence of Bi₂O₃. Regardless of the feed ratio, only low molar mass polyesters having two diol endgroups were obtained. Secondly, 1,4-butanediol and succinic anhydride were polycondensed in refluxing decalin with azeotropic removal of water. BiCL₃, BiBr₃, BiI₃, and Bi-triflate were used as catalyst and the monomer/catalyst ratio was varied. The highest molar masses were achieved with BiCl₃. Analogous polycondensations catalysed with ZnCl₂, Zn-triflate, MgCl₂, Mg-triflate and CaCl₂ were unsuccessful. Yet the BiCl₃, decalin method was also successfully applied to the combination of succinic anhydride and 1,5-pentanediol.     

生物可降解聚丁二酸/甲基丁二酸丁二酯系列共聚物的合成和表征

摘要合成了一系列聚丁二酸/甲基丁二酸丁二醇共聚酯(PBSM), 利用DSC, ¹H NMR和X射线衍射等方法对共聚物组成、 热学性能、 结晶性能、 等温结晶行为进行了研究. 结果表明, 引入甲基丁二酸共聚单元较为显著地改变了聚丁二酸丁二酯(PBS)的热学性能, 利用Hoffman\|Weeks方程得到的共聚物平衡熔点随共聚物的组分含量增加而降低, 玻璃化转变温度亦有所降低, 熔点则符合无规共聚物的Flory方程. 此外, 利用Avrami方程分别研究了均聚物PBS及共聚物PBSM-20的等温结晶行为, 结果表明, 在所研究的温度范围内, 聚酯结晶速率随温度升高而降低, PBS和PBSM\-20的Avrami指数分别介于2.8~3.0和2.7~3.0之间, 结晶方式为三维生长异相成核, 而X射线衍射测试结果表明晶体结构几乎不变.     

Preparation of MDPE-g-MAH copolymers and their effect on properties of MDPE/CaCo3 systems

MDPE-g-MAH copolymers were prepared with MDPE (medium density polyethylene) and MAH (maleic anhydride) under different irradiation doses of high-energy electron accelerator, and FTIR spectra confirmed their structure. The effect of the different contents of MDPE-g-MAH copolymers on properties of MDPE/CaCO3 system is studied intensively. By adding 4 Phr (parts per hundred of resin) MDPE-g-MAH in MDPE/CaCO3 system under irradiation dose of 0.7 MGy, the tensile strength increases from 16.3 MPa to 19.9 MPa, and elongation at break increases from 437% to 518%. SEM images show the domain size of CaCO3 in MDPE-g-MAH systems becomes small. Definitely, MDPE-g-MAH copolymer could improve the compatibility of MDPE/CaCO3 system effectively.     

聚丁二酸丁二酯的无卤阻燃性能的研究

本文研究了聚苯基膦酸二苯砜酯(PSPPP)对聚丁二酸丁二酯(PBS)的阻燃作用。研究发现,在PBS中仅添加4wt%的PSPPP,其垂直燃烧就可以达到UL-94 V-0级,极限氧指数达到34,PSPPP对PBS表现出高效阻燃作用。然而,PSPPP对PBS有促进降解的作用,破坏了PBS的力学性能。通过在PBS/PSPPP体系中添加0.5wt%氧化锌后,有效抑制了PBS的降解,力学性能得到改善。     

New Strategy for Enzymatic Synthesis of High‐Molecular‐Weight Poly(butylene succinate) via Cyclic Oligomers

Summary: High‐molecular‐weight poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is prepared by the lipase‐catalyzed polymerization of dimethyl succinate and butane‐1,4‐diol via the formation of cyclic oligomers as a new strategy for the green production of bio‐based plastics. The cyclic oligomer is first produced by the lipase‐catalyzed condensation of dimethyl succinate and butane‐1,4‐diol in a dilute toluene solution using lipase from Candida antarctica, followed by the ring‐opening polymerization of the cyclic oligomer in a more concentrated solution or in bulk with the same lipase to produce PBS with an of 130 000. On the other hand, PBS is produced with an of 45 000 by direct polycondensation.

The lipase‐catalyzed preparation of PBS by two routes.     

Morphology and isothermal crystallization of graphene oxide reinforced biodegradable poly(butylene succinate)

Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) via a solution coagulation method to fabricate PBS/GO nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope observations indicated that GO with exfoliated lamella dispersed in PBS uniformly and showed good interfacial adhesion with the PBS matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis suggested that the crystallization ability of PBS first increased and then decreased with increase in GO content, due to the competitive nucleating effect and confined space effect with addition of exfoliated GO. Isothermal crystallization kinetics investigation showed that the overall crystallization rate of PBS first increased and then decreased with increasing GO content while the crystallization mechanism remained unchanged. Polarized optical microscopy analysis indicated that GO worked as an effective nucleating agent for PBS. X-ray diffraction characterization suggested that incorporation of GO did not change the crystal structure of PBS. Both tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis witnessed the reinforcement in mechanical performance of PBS by incorporation of GO.     

Interfacial Banded Transcrystallization of Polyoxymethylene/Poly(butylene succinate) Blends Induced by the Polyamide 6 Fiber

Interfacial crystallization of polyoxymethylene/poly(butylene succinate) blends induced by the polyamide 6 (PA6) fiber was investigated. Due to strong heterogeneous nucleating ability, dense nuclei were generated on the surface of the PA6 fiber, which compelled the growth of twisted lamellae perpendicular to the PA6 fiber. As a result, unique interfacial banded transcrystallization was formed, which is rarely found before. Crystallization temperature was dominant in determining the nucleation activity of the PA6 fiber, further affecting the architecture of banded transcrystallization. With the increase of crystallization temperature, the nucleation density decreased to give more growth space for the twisted lamellae around the fiber. The wave-like banded stripes were transformed into fan-like stripes. Accordingly, band spacing and eccentricity respectively showed positive and negative correlation with crystallization temperature. These meaningful results shed light on regulating the architecture of banded crystals in polymer composites.

     

Study of the effect of nanosized carbon black on flammability and mechanical properties of poly(butylene succinate)

Biodegradable poly(butylene succinate)/nanosized carbon black (PBS/CB) nanocomposites were prepared by melt compounding to investigate the effect of CB on flammability and mechanical properties of PBS. In the nanocomposites, CB displayed some positive effect on improving the flame retardancy of PBS, mainly on the decrease of peak of heat release rate, the increase of limited oxygen index value, and the inhibition of melt dripping. It was contributed to the formation of a good carbon layer during combustion and of a network structure in the PBS matrix. Moreover, a good balance on mechanical performances of PBS/CB nanocomposites was achieved with enhanced stiffness and high toughness, which was ascribed to the compatibilization of PBS‐g‐MA, leading to a good dispersion of nanofillers and strong matrix‐nanoparticle interaction. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolation and characterization of poly(butylene succinate)-degrading fungi

We isolated 12 poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu)-degrading fungi from various soil environments. Among the isolates, the NKCM1706 strain exhibited the fastest degradation rate for the PBSu film (10.5 μg cm⁻² h⁻¹). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this strain is closely related to Aspergillus fumigatus (internal transcribed spacer (ITS) identity, 100%). Further, this strain exhibited PBSu-hydrolytic activity in the presence of poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL), PBSu, and poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA). On adding this strain into the soil sample, the PBSu degradation rate accelerated approximately sixfold, suggesting that this strain plays a crucial role in PBSu degradation in actual soil environments. In addition to PBSu, the NKCM1706 strain could degrade PBSA, poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)), and PCL.     

聚2,5-呋喃二甲酸乙二醇酯/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯共混物的制备与表征

通过熔融共混制备了聚2,5-呋喃二甲酸乙二醇酯(PEF)/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)共混物,探究了制备PEF/PBS共混物的影响因素,考察了共混温度、共混时间、螺杆转速、共混比例对PEF/PBS共混物力学性能的影响因素,并用示差扫描量热仪、热失重、扫描电子显微镜等技术手段对其热性能和相容性进行了表征。 结果表明,当PBS的含量为15%、共混温度为230 ℃,共混时间为90 s、螺杆转速为150 r/min时,为最佳共混制备条件,此时相容性最好,热性能良好,冲击强度和拉伸强度最大,冲击强度相对纯PEF提高了6倍,拉伸强度提高了近20%,从而大幅提高了PEF的冲击强度,有效地增强了PEF的抗冲击韧性。 这些工作为这一生物基聚酯材料的应用提供了可能。     

Biodegradability of bio-flour filled biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) bio-composites in natural and compost soil

This study investigated the biodegradability of PBS and bio-flour, which is a poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) bio-composite filled with rice-husk flour (RHF) reinforcing, in natural and aerobic compost soil. The percentage weight loss and the reduction in mechanical properties of PBS and the bio-composites in the compost soil burial test were significantly greater than those in the natural soil burial test. These results were supported by degraded surface of PBS and bio-composites observed through morphological study and the total colony count of natural soil was lower than that of compost soil. The biodegradability of the bio-composites was enhanced with increasing bio-flour content because the bio-flour is easily attacked by microorganisms. As the biodegradability test progressed over time up to 80 days, the molecular weight of PBS decreased in the soil burial test. We confirmed by attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) analyser that the chemical structures of PBS and the bio-composites were changed after the compost burial test. The glass transition temperature (T_g), melting temperature (T_m), crystallization temperature (T_c), heat of fusion (ΔH_f) and heat of crystallization (ΔH_c) of the natural and composted soil tested PBS were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From the results, we concluded that use of these bio-composites will reduce the environmental problems associated with waste pollution and the study findings support the predicted application of bio-composites as “green-composites” or “eco-materials”.