Affiliation:
1. The Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province/State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
2. School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
3. Institute of Chemistry, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
4. Research Center of Green Catalysts, College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Abstract
Poly(propylene carbonate-co-phthalate) (PPC-P) is an amorphous copolymer of aliphatic polycarbonate and aromatic polyester; it possesses good biodegradability, superior mechanical performances, high thermal properties, and excellent affinity with CO2. Hence, we fabricate PPC-P foams in an autoclave by using subcritical CO2 as a physical blowing agent. Both saturation pressure and foaming temperature affect the foaming behaviors of PPC-P, including CO2 adsorption and desorption performance, foaming ratio, cell size, porosity, cell density, and nucleation density, which are investigated in this research. Moreover, the low-cost PPC-P/nano-CaCO3 and PPC-P/starch composites are prepared and foamed using the same procedure. The obtained PPC-P-based foams show ultra-high expansion ratio and refined microcellular structures simultaneously. Besides, nano-CaCO3 can effectively improve PPC-P’s rheological properties and foamability. In addition, the introduction of starch into PPC-P can lead to a large number of open cells. Beyond all doubt, this work can certainly provide both a kind of new biodegradable PPC-P-based foam materials and an economic methodology to make biodegradable plastic foams. These foams are potentially applicable in the packaging, transportation, and food industry.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Research and Development Project of Henan Academy of Sciences China
Shandong Lecron Industrial Development Group, Co., Ltd., China
Sinochem Energy, Co., Ltd., China
Guangdong Tianxin New Material Technology Co., Ltd., China
Hebei CNC Risun Energy Co., Ltd., China
Huanghua Xinnuolixing Fine Chemicalstock Co., Ltd. China