pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S04 - Polymers and Sustainability
Oral Presentation
 
 

Thermoplastic composites using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding with a styrene free biobased resin system

Dorgan John R (1)*

(1) Michigan State University - MI - USA

Improved environmental, health, and safety can be achieved using recyclable thermoplastic composites incorporating biobased resins. For the first time ever, a styrene-free, biobased formulation suitable for infusion processing of thermoplastic composites is reported. Biobased polylactide (PLA) is soluble in methyl methacrylate (MMA) and this new styrene free system is suitable for fabricating composite parts. Rheology is critically important in transfer molding; therefore, single chain properties are related to concentrated solutions of PLA in MMA. Multiple angle laser light scattering (MALLS) provides molecular weights, radii of gyration, and second virial coefficients for PLAs of varying molecular dissolved in MMA. The Flory interaction parameter is described by χ = 0.40 ± 0.04. Dilute solution viscometry (DSV) gives the Mark-Houwink relationship at 30°C as [η] = 0.017Mη0.73. The expansion factors calculated from DSV and MALLS agree reasonably well (α = 1.45 ± 0.25). The values of a, χ, and α indicate that MMA is a good solvent for PLA. The Carreau-Yasuda viscosity and Andrade-Eyring temperature models enable a quantitative description of the specific viscosity, ηsp, as a function of the intrinsic viscosity normalized concentration, c[η]. Using the insight provided by this description, this new environmentally superior resin system is used to fabricate a composite panel using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM).