Mechanical properties, thermal stability, and crystallization kinetics of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)/calcium carbonate composites

✍ Scribed by Yongchao Ding; Jianyun He; Yaya Yang; Shujun Cui; Kaitian Xu

• Publisher: Society for Plastic Engineers
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 699 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0272-8397
• DOI: 10.1002/pc.21131

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Bacterial polyester poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐4‐hydroxybutyrate) (P3/4HB) containing 5 mol% 4HB was composited with different calcium carbonate (CaCO~3~) fillers. The effect of CaCO~3~ contents on thermal properties, mechanical property, and crystallization kinetics was evaluated. The thermal stability of P3/4HB was reduced by mixing with CaCO~3~ particles. With increasing CaCO~3~ content, the elongation at break, tensile strength, and impact strength decrease; however, elastic modulus increases. When P3/4HB with 20 mol% 4HB was added into the P3/4HB/CaCO~3~ composite, the impact strength were enhanced significantly; however, the elongation at break and tensile strength were only slight to moderate improvements. However, when compared with nano‐ and light‐CaCO~3~, heavy CaCO~3~ had the best mechanical properties. The nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization results demonstrated that the crystallization rate of P3/4HB was reduced and the highest crystallinity was obtained for all kinds of CaCO~3~ fillers at 40 phr content. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers