This presentation highlights the use of available bio-resources for value added sustainable polymeric products for engineering, commodity and biomedical applications. Biopolymers can be extracted from renewable feedstock such as plants, marine animals, insects, etc. It is noteworthy to mention that so far biopolymers extracted from these sources have limited applications in large scale plastic production. Among the available bio-based plastics, polylactic acid (PLA), poly (caprolactone), Polyhydroxyalkanoates, have made its own place due to its biodegradability and have a potential to replace some of the conventional fossil based plastics. It is noteworthy to mention that properties such as melting point, stiffness, heat stability temperature and gas barrier properties limit its use in high temperature commodity and engineering applications. In relation with PLA, such limitations can be overcome by developing new class of high molecular weight stereocomplex PLA (sc-PLA). In this context, we have synthesized sc-PLA and its sc-PLA-bionanocomposites by using different biobased nanofillers which includes cellulose nanocrystals, silk nanocrystals, modified chitosan, etc. The formation of stereocomplex crystallites is confirmed by the XRD analysis. The melting point of the composite is increased even higher than 225°C which suggests the formation of stereocomplex crystallites and the Heat Deflection temperature is enhanced upto ~140°C at optimum bionanofiller loading. Due to the presence of various bionanofillers, ultimate tensile strength is enhanced significantly. Based on the studies, it is concluded that bionanofillers are good candidates for enhancing the stereocomplexation in the PLA. In this talk, fabrication strategies for synthesis of stereocomplex-PLA-bionanocomposites and evaluation of their properties along with possible applications will be discussed. This presentation will also be focused towards utilization of other bio-based plastics and their formulations in the area of agriculture, food packaging, energy harvesting, biocatalysis, water purification, orthopedics, self-cleaning fabrics. This abstract will also include the India status of biodegradable plastics developments and uses.

Biodegradable polymers for high end applications: An Indian perspective

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

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