Thermal degradation kinetics of Opuntia Ficus Indica flour and talc-filled poly (lactic acid) hybrid biocomposites by TGA analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832110082
Author(s):  
Azzeddine Gharsallah ◽  
Abdelheq Layachi ◽  
Ali Louaer ◽  
Hamid Satha

This paper reports the effect of lignocellulosic flour and talc powder on the thermal degradation behavior of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Lignocellulosic flour was obtained by grinding Opuntia Ficus Indica cladodes. PLA/talc/ Opuntia Ficus Indica flour (OFI-F) biocomposites were prepared by melt processing and characterized using Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The thermal degradation of neat PLA and its biocomposites can be identified quantitatively by solid-state kinetics models. Thermal degradation results on biocomposites compared to neat PLA show that talc particles at 10 wt % into the PLA matrix have a minor impact on the thermal stability of biocomposites. Loading OFI-F and Talc/OFI-F mixture into the PLA matrix results in a decrease in the maximum degradation temperature, which means that the biocomposites have lower thermal stability. The activation energies (Ea) calculated by the Flynn Wall Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger Akahira Sunose (KAS) model-free approaches and by model-fitting (Kissinger method and Coats-Redfern method) are in good agreement with one another. In addition, in this work, the degradation mechanism of biocomposites is proposed using Coats-Redfern and Criado methods.

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
JC Domínguez ◽  
B del Saz-Orozco ◽  
M Oliet ◽  
MV Alonso ◽  
F Rodriguez

In the present work, the thermal stability, changes in chemical structure during thermal degradation, and the kinetics of thermal degradation of a phenolic foam were studied. An 8.5 wt% of Pinus radiata wood flour reinforcement was added to the phenolic foam. A commercial phenolic resol was used as the matrix for the foam. The wood flour-reinforced foam showed a structure similar to the phenolic foam according to the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results. The wood flour increased the thermal stability of the phenolic foam in the first stage of thermal degradation ( T 5%), decreased it in the second step ( T 25%), and negligibly influenced the final stage. The activation energies of the degradation processes of the studied materials were obtained by the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa model-free kinetic methods and a 2-Gaussian distributed activation energy model. The values of the activation energies obtained by the model-free kinetic methods for the first degradation stage of the phenolic foams were in a range between 110 and 170 kJ mol−1, whereas for the wood flour it was 162 kJ mol−1 for almost all of the conversion range of its main degradation stage. The applied models showed good fits for all the materials, and the activation energies calculated were in agreement with the values found in the literature.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1365
Author(s):  
Iouliana Chrysafi ◽  
Nina Maria Ainali ◽  
Dimitrios N. Bikiaris

Ιn this work, new block poly(lactic acid)-block-poly(hexylene succinate) (PLA-b-PHSu) copolymers, in different mass ratios of 95/05, 90/10 and 80/20 w/w, are synthesized and their thermal and mechanical behavior are studied. Thermal degradation and thermal stability of the samples were examined by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), while thermal degradation kinetics was applied to better understand this process. The Friedman isoconversional method and the “model fitting method” revealed accurate results for the activation energy and the reaction mechanisms (nth order and autocatalysis). Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to provide more details of the degradation process with PHSu’s mechanism being the β-hydrogen bond scission, while on PLA the intramolecular trans-esterification processes domains. PLA-b-PHSu copolymers decompose also through the β-hydrogen bond scission. The mechanical properties have also been tested to understand how PHSu affects PLA’s structure and to give more information about this new material. The tensile measurements gave remarkable results as the elongation at break increases as the content of PHSu increases as well. The study of the thermal and mechanical properties is crucial, to examine if the new material fulfills the requirements for further investigation for medical or other possible uses that might come up.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2818
Author(s):  
Nina Maria Ainali ◽  
Evangelia Tarani ◽  
Alexandra Zamboulis ◽  
Klementina Pušnik Črešnar ◽  
Lidija Fras Zemljič ◽  
...  

Packaging applications cover approximately 40% of the total plastics production, whereas food packaging possesses a high proportion within this context. Due to several environmental concerns, petroleum-based polymers have been shifted to their biobased counterparts. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has been proved the most dynamic biobased candidate as a substitute of the conventional polymers. Despite its numerous merits, PLA exhibits some limitations, and thus reinforcing agents are commonly investigated as fillers to ameliorate several characteristics. In the present study, two series of PLA-based nanocomposites filled with biobased kraft-lignin (KL) and tannin (T) in different contents were prepared. A melt–extrusion method was pursued for nanocomposites preparation. The thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposites was examined by Thermogravimetric Analysis, while thermal degradation kinetics was applied to deepen this process. Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry was employed to provide more details of the degradation process of PLA filled with the two polyphenolic fillers. It was found that the PLA/lignin nanocomposites show better thermostability than neat PLA, while tannin filler has a small catalytic effect that can reduce the thermal stability of PLA. The calculated Eα value of PLA-T nanocomposite was lower than that of PLA-KL resulting in a substantially higher decomposition rate constant, which accelerate the thermal degradation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 773-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Madhu ◽  
Dev K Mandal ◽  
Haripada Bhunia ◽  
Pramod K Bajpai

In this work, a kinetic study on the thermal degradation of films prepared from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and their blends is presented. Activation energy ( Ea), order of reaction ( n) and frequency factor (ln ( A)) were studied through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) over a temperature range of 25–600°C at four heating rates, that is, 5, 10, 15, and 20°C min−1. The TGA data were used to predict the thermal stability of the film samples, comparing the kinetic parameters obtained by three model-free isoconversional techniques and estimating the lifetime of the films. The value of Ea for neat HDPE was found to be much higher than that for PLLA, but for HDPE/PLLA blends, it was nearer to that of HDPE. An increase in Ea of 80/20 (HDPE/PLLA) blends was noticed with the addition of compatibilizer, maleic anhydride-grafted HDPE. Overall, the thermal kinetics of the polymer samples depends on fractions of their constituents, heating rates and calculation technique used. It was proved, through lifetime estimation method, that the lifetime of neat HDPE decreases by addition of PLLA. With increase in temperature, the lifetime of all samples decreased exponentially. Scanning electron microscopy studies verified that HDPE and PLLA interfaces became fairly compatible by adding the compatibilizer.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1597
Author(s):  
Iman Jafari ◽  
Mohamadreza Shakiba ◽  
Fatemeh Khosravi ◽  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Ehsan Abasi ◽  
...  

The incorporation of nanofillers such as graphene into polymers has shown significant improvements in mechanical characteristics, thermal stability, and conductivity of resulting polymeric nanocomposites. To this aim, the influence of incorporation of graphene nanosheets into ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the thermal behavior and degradation kinetics of UHMWPE/graphene nanocomposites was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that graphene nanosheets were uniformly spread throughout the UHMWPE’s molecular chains. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) data posited that the morphology of dispersed graphene sheets in UHMWPE was exfoliated. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies identified a more pronounced increase in melting temperatures and latent heat of fusions in nanocomposites compared to UHMWPE at lower concentrations of graphene. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) revealed that UHMWPE’s thermal stability has been improved via incorporating graphene nanosheets. Further, degradation kinetics of neat polymer and nanocomposites have been modeled using equations such as Friedman, Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), Kissinger, and Augis and Bennett’s. The "Model-Fitting Method” showed that the auto-catalytic nth-order mechanism provided a highly consistent and appropriate fit to describe the degradation mechanism of UHMWPE and its graphene nanocomposites. In addition, the calculated activation energy (Ea) of thermal degradation was enhanced by an increase in graphene concentration up to 2.1 wt.%, followed by a decrease in higher graphene content.


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