Mechanical properties of polycaprolactone and starch based biodegradable nanocomposites

JUAN I. MORÁN; LEANDRO N. LUDUEÑA; VERA A. ALVAREZ; VIVIANA CYRAS

Pisa

Workshop; 4th Workshop Green Chemistry and Nanotechnologies in Polymer Chemistry; 2013

In the last decades the production of biodegradable polymers has attracted increasing attention owing to the environmental problems induced by the accumulation of plastic wastes [1]. In this work, two different biodegradable matrices were used for the preparation of cellulose based nano-biocomposites. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and Potato Thermoplastic Starch (TPS) were used. PCL is an oil-derived non-renewable biodegradable polymer, while TPS is a plant-derived annually-renewable biodegradable polymer. The addition of nanocellulose allowed to considerably improve mechanical properties of biopolymers as well as to maintain their inherent biodegradation capability. Nanocellulose derived from cotton and sisal fibers was added to the selected matrices and the resulting properties were evaluated.