Development of a PLA/PHA-TiO₂ Polymer Blend with Improved Physicochemical and Thermal Properties

IF 4.7 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Journal of Polymers and the Environment Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.1007/s10924-025-03547-y

Ibrahim Nazem Qader, Mediha Kök, Kathrin Sleman Mohammed, Meltem Coskun, Ecem Özen Öner, Yıldırım Aydoğdu

{"title":"Development of a PLA/PHA-TiO₂ Polymer Blend with Improved Physicochemical and Thermal Properties","authors":"Ibrahim Nazem Qader, Mediha Kök, Kathrin Sleman Mohammed, Meltem Coskun, Ecem Özen Öner, Yıldırım Aydoğdu","doi":"10.1007/s10924-025-03547-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>The increasing use of plastic products has led to significant environmental concerns from waste accumulation and inadequate recycling, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions like biodegradable plastics. This study investigates the influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymer blends, focusing on their shape memory behavior and crystallinity. The PLA/PHA: TiO₂ nanocomposites, synthesized via solution casting, were characterized by XRD, DSC, TGA, SEM, SME, FTIR, and tensile testing. XRD analysis confirmed the incorporation of highly crystalline tetragonal TiO₂ NPs (space group I41/amd), which increased the overall crystallinity of the composites while reducing the crystallinity of the PLA/PHA blend. Thermal analysis revealed a decrease in the blend’s glass transition temperature (Tg) from 36.5 °C to lower values with TiO₂ doping, while the melting temperature (Tm) remained stable at approximately 175.3 °C. SEM micrographs demonstrated uniform nanoparticle dispersion, with surface roughness increasing at higher TiO₂ concentrations. Tensile testing showed a reduction in elasticity and a progressive increase in stiffness with increasing TiO₂ content, while UV-Vis analysis revealed a decrease in the bandgap energy to below 4 eV due to enhanced charge carrier density. This study pioneers the use of TiO₂ NPs to enhance the crystallinity, thermal stability, and shape memory properties of PLA/PHA blends, offering a promising pathway for advanced environmentally friendly material applications.</div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":"33 5","pages":"2502 - 2514"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-025-03547-y","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The increasing use of plastic products has led to significant environmental concerns from waste accumulation and inadequate recycling, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions like biodegradable plastics. This study investigates the influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymer blends, focusing on their shape memory behavior and crystallinity. The PLA/PHA: TiO₂ nanocomposites, synthesized via solution casting, were characterized by XRD, DSC, TGA, SEM, SME, FTIR, and tensile testing. XRD analysis confirmed the incorporation of highly crystalline tetragonal TiO₂ NPs (space group I41/amd), which increased the overall crystallinity of the composites while reducing the crystallinity of the PLA/PHA blend. Thermal analysis revealed a decrease in the blend’s glass transition temperature (T_g) from 36.5 °C to lower values with TiO₂ doping, while the melting temperature (T_m) remained stable at approximately 175.3 °C. SEM micrographs demonstrated uniform nanoparticle dispersion, with surface roughness increasing at higher TiO₂ concentrations. Tensile testing showed a reduction in elasticity and a progressive increase in stiffness with increasing TiO₂ content, while UV-Vis analysis revealed a decrease in the bandgap energy to below 4 eV due to enhanced charge carrier density. This study pioneers the use of TiO₂ NPs to enhance the crystallinity, thermal stability, and shape memory properties of PLA/PHA blends, offering a promising pathway for advanced environmentally friendly material applications.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

具有改进物理化学和热性能的聚乳酸/PHA-TiO 2聚合物共混物的研制

塑料产品的使用越来越多，导致了废物积累和回收不足带来的重大环境问题，突出了对生物降解塑料等可持续解决方案的需求。本文研究了二氧化钛纳米颗粒（TiO₂NPs）对聚乳酸（PLA）和聚羟基烷酸酯（PHA）聚合物共混物的结构、热性能和力学性能的影响，重点研究了它们的形状记忆行为和结晶度。采用溶液铸造法制备PLA/PHA: TiO 2纳米复合材料，通过XRD、DSC、TGA、SEM、SME、FTIR和拉伸测试对其进行了表征。XRD分析证实了高结晶的四方tio_2 NPs（空间基团I41/amd）的加入，提高了复合材料的整体结晶度，同时降低了PLA/PHA共混物的结晶度。热分析表明，掺tio2后，共混物的玻璃化转变温度（Tg）从36.5℃降至更低，而熔融温度（Tm）保持稳定在175.3℃左右。SEM显微图显示纳米颗粒分散均匀，表面粗糙度随着tio2浓度的增加而增加。拉伸测试表明，随着tio2含量的增加，弹性降低，刚度逐渐增加，而UV-Vis分析表明，由于载流子密度的增加，带隙能量降低到4 eV以下。这项研究开创了使用TiO₂NPs来提高PLA/PHA共混物的结晶度、热稳定性和形状记忆性能的先进性，为先进的环保材料应用提供了一条有前途的途径。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Polymers and the Environment 工程技术-高分子科学

CiteScore

9.50

自引率

7.50%

发文量

297

审稿时长

9 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Polymers and the Environment fills the need for an international forum in this diverse and rapidly expanding field. The journal serves a crucial role for the publication of information from a wide range of disciplines and is a central outlet for the publication of high-quality peer-reviewed original papers, review articles and short communications. The journal is intentionally interdisciplinary in regard to contributions and covers the following subjects - polymers, environmentally degradable polymers, and degradation pathways: biological, photochemical, oxidative and hydrolytic; new environmental materials: derived by chemical and biosynthetic routes; environmental blends and composites; developments in processing and reactive processing of environmental polymers; characterization of environmental materials: mechanical, physical, thermal, rheological, morphological, and others; recyclable polymers and plastics recycling environmental testing: in-laboratory simulations, outdoor exposures, and standardization of methodologies; environmental fate: end products and intermediates of biodegradation; microbiology and enzymology of polymer biodegradation; solid-waste management and public legislation specific to environmental polymers; and other related topics.