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Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Morphology and mechanical properties of poly(β-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(ε-caprolactone) blends controlled with
Jianxiang Chen1, Yuankun Wang2, Zeren Yin2
1School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu, 225002, PR China; Provincial Key Laboratories of Environmental Engineering & Material, Jiangsu 225002, PR China; Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Abstract:
The rigid microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles and semi-rigid ethyl cellulose (EC) were used to control phase morphology and mechanical properties of immiscible poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blends. The interfacial properties were evaluated by the fiber retraction and contact angle methods MCC is incompatible with PHB and PCL, and dispersed independently in the two polymer phases in their blends. However, EC is more compatible with the two polymers, with a higher affinity for PCL. And EC prefers locating in PCL domains and at the phase interface. Selective localization of MCC and EC affects the mechanical properties and phase structure of PHB/PCL blends strongly. For the co-continuous samples, the presence of MCC and EC improves both the tensile and impact strengths. For the 'sea-island' ones, however, the changes of strengths depends strongly on the phase adhesion. This work will help focus efforts on moderating structure and properties of immiscible polymer blends using cellulose particles.
