Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch
One of the methods of making traditional polymers more environmentally friendly is to modify them with natural materials or their biodegradable, synthetic equivalents. It was assumed that blends with polylactide (PLA), polysaccharides: chitosan (Ch) and starch (St) of branched polyurethane (PUR) bas...
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doaj-1aaa0179e8d8450baf44613aa1823b572021-04-08T23:01:00ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602021-04-01131202120210.3390/polym13081202Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and StarchJoanna Brzeska0Agnieszka Tercjak1Wanda Sikorska2Barbara Mendrek3Marek Kowalczuk4Maria Rutkowska5Department of Industrial Product Quality and Chemistry, Gdynia Maritime University, 83 Morska Street, 81-225 Gdynia, PolandGroup ‘Materials+Technologies’ (GMT), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, SpainCentre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 M. Curie-Sklodowska Street, 41-819 Zabrze, PolandCentre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 M. Curie-Sklodowska Street, 41-819 Zabrze, PolandCentre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 M. Curie-Sklodowska Street, 41-819 Zabrze, PolandDepartment of Industrial Product Quality and Chemistry, Gdynia Maritime University, 83 Morska Street, 81-225 Gdynia, PolandOne of the methods of making traditional polymers more environmentally friendly is to modify them with natural materials or their biodegradable, synthetic equivalents. It was assumed that blends with polylactide (PLA), polysaccharides: chitosan (Ch) and starch (St) of branched polyurethane (PUR) based on synthetic poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (R,S-PHB) would degrade faster in the processes of hydrolysis and oxidation than pure PUR. For the sake of simplicity in the publication, all three modifiers: commercial PLA, Ch created by chemical modification of chitin and St are called bioadditives. The samples were incubated in a hydrolytic and oxidizing environment for 36 weeks and 11 weeks, respectively. The degradation process was assessed by observation of the chemical structure as well as the change in the mass of the samples, their molecular weight, surface morphology and thermal properties. It was found that the PUR samples with the highest amount of R,S-PHB and the lowest amount of polycaprolactone triol (PCL<sub>triol</sub>) were degraded the most. Moreover, blending with St had the greatest impact on the susceptibility to degradation of PUR. However, the rate of weight loss of the samples was low, and after 36 weeks of incubation in the hydrolytic solution, it did not exceed 7% by weight. The weight loss of Ch and PLA blends was even smaller. However, a significant reduction in molecular weight, changes in morphology and changes in thermal properties indicated that the degradation of the samples should occur quickly after this time. Therefore, when using these polyurethanes and their blends, it should be taken into account that they should decompose slowly in their initial life. In summary, this process can be modified by changing the amount of R,S-PHB, the degree of cross-linking, and the type and amount of second blend component added (bioadditives).https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/8/1202branched polyurethanespolyhydroxybutyratepolylactidechitosanstarchdegradability |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Joanna Brzeska Agnieszka Tercjak Wanda Sikorska Barbara Mendrek Marek Kowalczuk Maria Rutkowska |
spellingShingle |
Joanna Brzeska Agnieszka Tercjak Wanda Sikorska Barbara Mendrek Marek Kowalczuk Maria Rutkowska Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch Polymers branched polyurethanes polyhydroxybutyrate polylactide chitosan starch degradability |
author_facet |
Joanna Brzeska Agnieszka Tercjak Wanda Sikorska Barbara Mendrek Marek Kowalczuk Maria Rutkowska |
author_sort |
Joanna Brzeska |
title |
Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch |
title_short |
Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch |
title_full |
Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch |
title_fullStr |
Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch |
title_full_unstemmed |
Degradability of Polyurethanes and Their Blends with Polylactide, Chitosan and Starch |
title_sort |
degradability of polyurethanes and their blends with polylactide, chitosan and starch |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Polymers |
issn |
2073-4360 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
One of the methods of making traditional polymers more environmentally friendly is to modify them with natural materials or their biodegradable, synthetic equivalents. It was assumed that blends with polylactide (PLA), polysaccharides: chitosan (Ch) and starch (St) of branched polyurethane (PUR) based on synthetic poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (R,S-PHB) would degrade faster in the processes of hydrolysis and oxidation than pure PUR. For the sake of simplicity in the publication, all three modifiers: commercial PLA, Ch created by chemical modification of chitin and St are called bioadditives. The samples were incubated in a hydrolytic and oxidizing environment for 36 weeks and 11 weeks, respectively. The degradation process was assessed by observation of the chemical structure as well as the change in the mass of the samples, their molecular weight, surface morphology and thermal properties. It was found that the PUR samples with the highest amount of R,S-PHB and the lowest amount of polycaprolactone triol (PCL<sub>triol</sub>) were degraded the most. Moreover, blending with St had the greatest impact on the susceptibility to degradation of PUR. However, the rate of weight loss of the samples was low, and after 36 weeks of incubation in the hydrolytic solution, it did not exceed 7% by weight. The weight loss of Ch and PLA blends was even smaller. However, a significant reduction in molecular weight, changes in morphology and changes in thermal properties indicated that the degradation of the samples should occur quickly after this time. Therefore, when using these polyurethanes and their blends, it should be taken into account that they should decompose slowly in their initial life. In summary, this process can be modified by changing the amount of R,S-PHB, the degree of cross-linking, and the type and amount of second blend component added (bioadditives). |
topic |
branched polyurethanes polyhydroxybutyrate polylactide chitosan starch degradability |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/8/1202 |
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