Environmental concerns regarding the accumulation of plastic debris in the ecosystems are growing the interest on biodegradable polymers as potential substitutes to conventional plastics. In this frame, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a promising biodegradable polyester characterized by low melting temperature, high ductility and toughness, compared with low density polyethylene. To improve the overall performance and increase the competitiveness of PCL on the market, biocomposites based on lignocellulose can be manufactured via melt processing. Lignocellulose can provide PCL with high stiffness, low density, biodegradability and renewability. However, its inherent high hydrophilicity due to the large amount of hydroxyl surface groups limits its miscibility with the more hydrophobic PCL matrix. Physical melt blending of the components is often not sufficient to overcome the challenges of lignocellulose dispersion and interfacial adhesion with PCL, limiting its reinforcement effect. Therefore, to improve lignocellulose dispersion, different reactive routes for compatibilization can be followed. Among them, tailoring of the polymer backbone includes a controlled aminolysis of PCL chains. The aim is to induce a self-compatibilization in which more hydrophilic shorter PCL chains, generated by aminolysis, migrate to the PCL/lignocellulose interphase in the melt, thus acting as compatibilizer. Such reaction can be carried through reactive extrusion, as sustainable continuous process, providing cost-efficient in-situ modification of the polymer backbone.

PCL aminolysis via reactive melt processing as sustainable self-compatibilization strategy for lignocellulose biocomposites

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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