Thipparat Dulnimit. Toughening of polylactide by a blending process and enhancement of their products super-hydrophobicity. Master's Degree(Engineering Technology). Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library. : Thammasat University, 2020.
Toughening of polylactide by a blending process and enhancement of their products super-hydrophobicity
Abstract:
This research is aimed to develop a process for enhancing toughness of polylactide (PLA) and improving its surface hydrophobicity. These are achieved by blending PLA with 20 wt% poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with various molecular weights (2,000, 6,000, 20,000 and 35,000 g/mol), by using an internal mixer at a temperature of 190 ˚C, with a rotor speed of 60 rpm for 10 min. The elongation at break of the blended samples was largely improved, compared to neat PLA, The highest degree of improvement (302%) was obtained when PEG with the highest molecular weight (35,000 g/mol) was employed. This is a result from the lowering of the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the increase in the crystalline content of the blends. However. tensile strength and modulus of the blends were decreased accordingly. In addition, the films surface was modified by treating with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD), which specifically reactive towards hydroxyl groups of PEG chains located at the films surfaces. The treated films exhibit super-hydrophobicity, as a result from a formation of nano-patterns by the reacted AKD and free AKD deposited on the surfaces. The resulting films, which possess improved toughness and surface superhydrophobicity, have high potential for use in various packaging applications
Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library