pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S02 - Polymer Blends and Alloys
Oral Presentation
 
 

Insights on the efficiency of bio-based antioxidants in PLA/ABS blends

Rigoussen Alan (1)*, Verge Pierre (1), Raquez Jean-Marie (2), Habibi Youssef (1), Dubois Philippe (1)

(1) Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology - Esch-sur-Alzette - Luxembourg, (2) Centre d’Innovation et de Recherche en Matériaux Polymères - Mons - Belgium

Over the last years, interest toward bioplastics has grown and these materials are expected to gradually replace petroleum based plastics. Many efforts to study these bio-materials and optimize their properties were achieved. Nevertheless, their development is still a challenge according to their inherent weaknesses, such as poor processability, brittleness, or poor thermal and physical properties. Among them, polylactide (PLA) is one of the most interesting bio-based material according to its biocompatibility, bio-resorbability, renewable origin and biodegradability, but its weak impact properties and poor thermal/oxidative stability result in a limited applications range. To overcome the brittle nature of PLA, the melt-blending with poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS), a polymer having good impact and thermal properties, is an efficient and easily implementable approach. However, as PLA and ABS are immiscible, the resulting blend has poor mechanical properties and the addition of a third component acting as compatibilizer could tackle this issue. Recently, we have demonstrated that cardanol, a naturally occurring phenolic compound, was acting as an efficient compatibilizer for PLA/ABS immiscible blends. Its antioxidant properties were involved in the grafting of the phenolic moiety onto ABS during reactive extrusion. According to that finding, several natural antioxidant compounds were considered to produce compatibilized blends being stable against oxidation.