Functional Nanocomposite Films of Poly(Lactic Acid) with Well-Dispersed Chitin Nanocrystals Achieved Using a Dispersing Agent and Liquid-Assisted Extrusion Process

The development of bio-based nanocomposites is of high scientific and industrial interest, since they offer excellent advantages in creating functional materials. However, dispersion and distribution of the nanomaterials inside the polymer matrix is a key challenge to achieve high-performance functional nanocomposites. In this context, for better dispersion, biobased triethyl citrate (TEC) as a dispersing agent in a liquid-assisted extrusion process was used to prepare the nanocomposites of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs). The aim was to identify the effect of the TEC content on the dispersion of ChNCs in the PLA matrix and the manufacturing of a functional nanocomposite. The nanocomposite film’s optical properties; microstructure; migration of the additive and nanocomposites’ thermal, mechanical and rheological properties, all influenced by the ChNC dispersion, were studied. The microscopy study confirmed that the dispersion of the ChNCs was improved with the increasing TEC content, and the best dispersion was found in the nanocomposite prepared with 15 wt% TEC. Additionally, the nanocomposite with the highest TEC content (15 wt%) resembled the mechanical properties of commonly used polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene. The addition of ChNCs in PLA-TEC15 enhanced the melt viscosity, as well as melt strength, of the polymer and demonstrated antibacterial activity.

Download Full-text

Strong and ductile poly(lactic acid) nanocomposite films reinforced with alkylated graphene nanosheets

Chemical Engineering Journal ◽

10.1016/j.cej.2014.11.066 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 264 ◽

pp. 538-546 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Li Zhang ◽

Yinfeng Li ◽

Huanhuan Wang ◽

Yadong Qiao ◽

Jinzhou Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Graphene Nanosheets ◽

Nanocomposite Films ◽

Poly Lactic Acid

Download Full-text

Constructing robust chain entanglement network, well-defined nanosized crystals and highly aligned graphene oxide nanosheets: Towards strong, ductile and high barrier Poly(lactic acid) nanocomposite films for green packaging

Composites Part B Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.compositesb.2021.109048 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109048

Author(s):

Ping-Ping Xu ◽

Sheng Yang ◽

Xin-Rui Gao ◽

Shi-Peng Chen ◽

Ling Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Graphene Oxide ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

Nanocomposite Films ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Graphene Oxide Nanosheets ◽

Chain Entanglement ◽

Green Packaging ◽

Entanglement Network ◽

Nanosized Crystals

Download Full-text

Enhanced properties of poly(lactic acid) by concurrent addition of organo-modified Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) and triethyl citrate

Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials ◽

10.1177/0892705719868272 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 089270571986827 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mehrnoush Monshizadeh ◽

Sajad Seifi ◽

Iman Hejazi ◽

Javad Seyfi ◽

Hossein Ali Khonakdar

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Layered Double Hydroxide ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Solution Casting ◽

Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Concurrent Use ◽

Triethyl Citrate ◽

Double Hydroxide

Synergistic effects of organo-modified Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) and triethyl citrate (TEC) on the properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were demonstrated. PLA/LDH nanocomposites in the absence and presence of TEC were fabricated via solution casting technique. Morphological analysis revealed that as the LDH concentration increases, the number of aggregations is also increased; however, introduction of TEC considerably enhanced the dispersion quality of LDHs. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the addition of LDH and TEC had no significant influence on the crystallinity of nanocomposites obtained from solution casting. In contrast, once the samples were cooled from melt, the concurrent use of LDH and TEC led to a dramatic enhancement in the crystallinity of PLA ( X c = 55.5%). Moreover, the LDH nanoparticles counterbalanced the adverse effects of plasticization by TEC leading to enhanced toughness of the final nanocomposites. LDH had also a positive influence on thermal stability of PLA, indicating the heat-insulating role of LDH particles. In conclusion, the concurrent use of LDH and TEC could extend the applicability of PLA especially in food packaging applications.

Download Full-text

Release of Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes from Biodegradable Poly(Lactic Acid) Films during Degradation and Combustion: Risk Associated with the End-of-Life of Nanocomposite Food Packaging Materials

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma11122346 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2346 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Stanislav Kotsilkov ◽

Evgeni Ivanov ◽

Nikolay Vitanov

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Safety Concern ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Nanocomposite Films ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽

The Matrix

Nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes are attractive materials for the improvement of mechanical and barrier properties and for the functionality of biodegradable polymers for packaging applications. However, the increase of the manufacture and consumption increases the probability of exposure of humans and the environment to such nanomaterials; this brings up questions about the risks of nanomaterials, since they can be toxic. For a risk assessment, it is crucial to know whether airborne nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes can be released from nanocomposites into the environment at their end-life, or whether they remain embedded in the matrix. In this work, the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from the poly(lactic) acid nanocomposite films were studied for the scenarios of: (i) biodegradation of the matrix polymer at the disposal of wastes; and (ii) combustion and fire of nanocomposite wastes. Thermogravimetric analysis in air atmosphere, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to verify the release of nanoparticles from nanocomposite films. The three factors model was applied for the quantitative and qualitative risk assessment of the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from nanocomposite wastes for these scenarios. Safety concern is discussed in respect to the existing regulations for nanowaste stream.

Download Full-text

Mechanical properties of wood flour/poly (lactic acid) composites coupled with waterborne silane-polyacrylate copolymer emulsion

Holzforschung ◽

10.1515/hf-2015-0064 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (5) ◽

pp. 439-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Ru Liu ◽

Shupin Luo ◽

Jinzhen Cao ◽

Yu Chen

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

High Performance ◽

Coupling Effect ◽

Wood Flour ◽

Flexural Modulus ◽

Coupling Agents ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Effective Coupling ◽

Methacryloxypropyl Trimethoxysilane

Abstract Wood flour/polylactic acid (WF/PLA) composites were produced with a WF content of 50% based on three types of waterborne polyacrylate (PA) emulsions including a PA homopolymer emulsion and two types of silane-PA copolymer emulsions as coupling agents. Two silanes were in focus, namely, γ-methacryloxypropyl- trimethoxysilane (silane-1) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (silane-2). The emulsions and the modified WFs were characterized, and the effects were investigated in terms of emulsion type and their loading levels on the mechanical properties of WF/PLA composites. (1) Both types of silanes could be successfully copolymerized with PA to form stable emulsions. (2) With increasing PA loading, the mechanical properties (except for flexural modulus) of the composites increased at first before reaching the maximum values at 4% PA loading and then the properties worsened. However, these values were larger than those of pure composites, especially in cases when PA-silane emulsions were applied. (3) PA modified with silane-1 showed the best coupling effect among all the three PA emulsions. The results can be interpreted that PA emulsions are effective coupling agents for the preparation of high-performance WPCs.

Download Full-text

Hybrid Biocomposites Based on Poly(Lactic Acid) and Silica Aerogel for Food Packaging Applications

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13214910 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 4910 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alejandro Aragón-Gutierrez ◽

Marina P. Arrieta ◽

Mar López-González ◽

Marta Fernández-García ◽

Daniel López

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stability ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

Silica Aerogel ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Composite Films ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Extrusion Process ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Barrier Performance

Bionanocomposites based on poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and silica aerogel (SiA) were developed by means of melt extrusion process. PLA-SiA composite films were plasticized with 15 wt.% of acetyl (tributyl citrate) (ATBC) to facilitate the PLA processability as well as to attain flexible polymeric formulations for films for food packaging purposes. Meanwhile, SiA was added in four different proportions (0.5, 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) to evaluate the ability of SiA to improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier performance of the bionanocomposites. The mechanical performance, thermal stability as well as the barrier properties against different gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen) of the bionanocomposites were evaluated. It was observed that the addition of 3 wt.% of SiA to the plasticized PLA-ATBC matrix showed simultaneously an improvement on the thermal stability as well as the mechanical and barrier performance of films. Finally, PLA-SiA film formulations were disintegrated in compost at the lab-scale level. The combination of ATBC and SiA sped up the disintegration of PLA matrix. Thus, the bionanocomposites produced here show great potential as sustainable polymeric formulations with interest in the food packaging sector.

Download Full-text

Antimicrobial nanocomposite films made of poly(lactic acid)-cellulose nanocrystals (PLA-CNC) in food applications: part A—effect of nisin release on the inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes in ham

Cellulose ◽

10.1007/s10570-014-0230-6 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 1837-1850 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Stephane Salmieri ◽

Farhana Islam ◽

Ruhul A. Khan ◽

Farah M. Hossain ◽

Haytham M. M. Ibrahim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Listeria Monocytogenes ◽

Cellulose Nanocrystals ◽

Nanocomposite Films ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Food Applications

Download Full-text

Effect of Compatibilizers on Composite Materials of Bio-Ethanol Byproduct-Poly(lacticacid)

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.204-208.4088 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 204-208 ◽

pp. 4088-4092

Author(s):

Ming Ming Zhang ◽

Xiao Huan Liu ◽

Chun Peng Wang ◽

Li Wei Jin

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

Composite Materials ◽

Extrusion Process ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Twin Screw Extrusion ◽

Screw Extrusion ◽

Twin Screw ◽

Process Effects ◽

Properties Of Composites

The blend composite materials of bio-ethanol byproduct-Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were produced by a twin-screw extrusion process. Effects of bio-ethanol byproduct (BEB) contents and different compatibilizers on properties of composite materials were investigated. The research showed that with the increase of contents of bio-ethanol byproduct, the mechanical properties decreased. The mechanical properties of composites were improved by adding the compatibilizers, especially the polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride (PP-MAH). When the PP-MAH content was 2.5%, the mechanical properties of the composite materials were superior to others.

Download Full-text