One-Pot Reactive Melt Recycling of PLA Post-Consumer Waste for the Production of Block Copolymer Nanocomposites of High Strength and Ductility
Issued Date
2022-09-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20734360
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85137776804
Journal Title
Polymers
Volume
14
Issue
17
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Polymers Vol.14 No.17 (2022)
Suggested Citation
Sirisinha K., Wirasate S., Sirisinha C., Wattanakrai N. One-Pot Reactive Melt Recycling of PLA Post-Consumer Waste for the Production of Block Copolymer Nanocomposites of High Strength and Ductility. Polymers Vol.14 No.17 (2022). doi:10.3390/polym14173642 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/85075
Title
One-Pot Reactive Melt Recycling of PLA Post-Consumer Waste for the Production of Block Copolymer Nanocomposites of High Strength and Ductility
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Post-consumer waste recycling is a crucial issue for building a sustainable society. However, mechanical recycling of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) often reduces the performance of the recycled material because PLA has a strong tendency to degrade during reprocessing. Therefore, it is of great interest to develop an effective recycling method to improve the mechanical performance of this material. This paper presents a one-pot melt process for turning PLA waste into a biodegradable block copolymer and its high strength and ductility composite. The process was conducted in a melt-mixer through a transesterification of PLA with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) as a soft component and clay as reinforcement. Effects of soft component content and sequence of clay addition on the mechanical performance of the prepared materials were focused. The results showed the successful preparation of PLA-based multiblock copolymers of high molecular weights (~100 kDa). Both virgin PLA and recycled source could serve as the starting material. PEG was more efficient than PPG in providing an intense improvement of PLA ductility. The nanocomposite of intercalated structure yielded nearly 100 times higher elongation at break (Eb = 506%) than the starting PLA (Eb = 5.6%) with high strength of 39.5 MPa and modulus of 1.4 GPa, considering the advantages of clay addition. Furthermore, the products with a broadened range of properties can be designed based on the ratio of PLA and soft component, as well as the organization and spatial distribution of clay in the copolymer matrices.