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Reinforcing a Thermoplastic Starch/Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Composite Foam with Polyethylene Glycol under Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
oleh: Chih-Jen Chang, Jayashree Chandrasekar, Chia-Jung Cho, Manikandan Venkatesan, Pin-Shu Huang, Ching-Wei Yang, Hsin-Ta Wang, Chang-Ming Wong, Chi-Ching Kuo
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-12-01 |
Deskripsi
Biodegradable foams are a potential substitute for most fossil-fuel-derived polymer foams currently used in the cushion furniture-making industry. Thermoplastic starch (TPS) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) are biodegradable polymers, although their poor compatibility does not support the foam-forming process. In this study, we investigated the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with or without silane A (SA) on the foam density, cell structure and tensile properties of TPS/PBAT blends. The challenges in foam forming were explored through various temperature and pressure values under supercritical carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) conditions. The obtained experimental results indicate that PEG and SA act as a plasticizer and compatibilizer, respectively. The 50% (TPS with SA + PEG)/50% PBAT blends generally produce foams that have a lower foam density and better cell structure than those of 50% (TPS with PEG)/50% PBAT blends. The tensile property of each 50% (TPS with SA + PEG)/50% PBAT foam is generally better than that of each 50% (TPS with PEG)/50% PBAT foam.