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Influence of Biobased Polyurethane Structure on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)− Polyurethane Blends

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Abstract

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a promising alternative to petroleum-based polymers, however its high brittleness limits its practical applicability. In this study, two polyurethane elastomers (PUa and PUb) containing poly (ε-caprolactone) or poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(butylene adipate) as soft segment and different hard segments content (38.16% for PUa and 53.12% for PUb) were synthesized and melt blended with PHBV in various proportions. The addition of 5–15 wt% PU elastomers to PHBV did not significantly change its thermal stability; however, the presence of PUs decreased the crystallization temperature of PHBV by up to 9 °C, and the crystallinity of PHBV decreased from 48.2% to 42.2 or 43.6% in the blends with 15% PUa or PUb, indicating the development of some interactions between PHBV and PUa/PUb. The addition of PUa to PHBV increased its elongation at break by up to 70%, a weaker effect being observed with PUb. Remarkably, a slight variation in the tensile strength and modulus, which remained close to those of neat PHBV, was concomitant with the increased ductility. The fatigue resistance of the selected blends was estimated by a DMA cyclic test under controlled force from − 20 to 70 °C, this test clearly differentiating the blends.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization—UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-2559 (BIOPLASM) contract 632PED/2022 within PNCDI III.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymers Department, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania

    Denis Mihaela Panaitescu, Adriana Nicoleta Frone, Cristian Andi Nicolae & Augusta Raluca Gabor

  2. Polyaddition and Photochemistry Department, Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41 A Gr. Ghica Voda Alley, 700487, Iasi, Romania

    Violeta Melinte

  3. Analysis Department, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry ICECHIM, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania

    Luiza Capră

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  1. Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
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DMP and VM contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by ANF, CAN, ARG and LC. The first draft of the manuscript was written by DMP and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Panaitescu, D.M., Melinte, V., Frone, A.N. et al. Influence of Biobased Polyurethane Structure on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)− Polyurethane Blends. J Polym Environ 31, 1584–1597 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-022-02710-z

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