Improving mechanical properties of biodegradable polybutylene succinate/cellulose nanocrystal composites using epoxidized soybean oil
Journal
Polymer
Journal Volume
333
Start Page
128698
ISSN
0032-3861
Date Issued
2025-08
Author(s)
Abstract
Biodegradable polymers have garnered significant attention in response to the increasing focus on sustainability. Both academia and industry have explored and developed approaches to address plastic waste. In this study, we formulated a composite comprising polybutylene succinate (PBS), a biodegradable aliphatic polyester, and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), with the addition of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). Despite its reinforcement benefits, the incorporation of CNC presents challenges to the elongation and toughness of the composite due to its pronounced hydrophilicity that leads to poor dispersion in PBS. ESO acts as both a plasticizer and a dispersant, mitigating these issues in the PBS/CNC composite. The properties and microstructure of the composites were systematically studied by varying the contents of CNC and ESO. Our findings demonstrate that composites containing 5 phr CNC and 5 phr ESO exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to neat PBS. Furthermore, the biodegradability of the composites significantly enhanced with the incorporation of CNC and ESO. Additionally, the transformation and orientation of the composite microstructure during uniaxial deformation were investigated using SEM and X-ray scattering, revealing effects influenced by the CNC and ESO content.
Subjects
Cellulose nanocrystal
Composite
Polybutylene succinate
SDGs
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article