The production of fully biodegradable materials is receiving large attention in the research community and industrial sector as the way out to produce environmentally friendly products. Biodegradable polymeric materials are an important alternative because they diminish the consequences of plastic waste through composting. In this communication, the preparation and reactive compatibilization of biodegradable blends of cellulose acetate (CA) with two water soluble polymers; polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and the bio-sourced hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) will be presented. Like CA, HEC is advantageously both biodegradable and bio-sourced. The prepared blends were characterized in terms of morphology and thermo-mechanical properties. The quality of blend interface was enhanced by reactive compatibilization using maleic anhydride grafted-polylactide (MAgPLA). An original procedure was conducted using two extruders connected in a T-configuration to prepare various plasticized CA-PVOH blends compositions. This advantageous set up allowed for in situ plasticization of CA which significantly reduces its thermo-oxidative degradation. The water-response of these blends was evaluated to settle on their potential as new water-dispersive biodegradable materials.

Reactive extrusion compatibilization of cellulose acetate/water soluble polymer blends

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.