Enzymatic polymerization derived engineered polysaccharides as reinforcing fillers of ethylene vinyl acetate
Tizazu H Mekonnen1, Natnael Behabtu2, Christian Lenges2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Polymer Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; DuPont BioMaterials, 200 Powder Mill Road, Experimental Station E353, Wilmington, 19803 DE, USA.
Abstract:
A novel monomer based, controlled enzymatic polymerization was employed to produce an engineered alpha-1,3 glucan polysaccharide. The structure and material properties of the engineered polysaccharide were characterized using various techniques. The use of such engineered polysaccharide as a reinforcing filler of polymers was evaluated using model polymers. For this, the alpha-1,3 glucan was incorporated into ethylene vinyl acetate co-polymer (EVA) matrices with vinyl acetate content of 32% and 40% via a melt processing fabrication process. Various mechanical and rheological properties of the fabricated composites were evaluated. The effect of vinyl acetate content of the EVA resin on the interaction with alpha-1,3 glucan that result in various performances attributes was also investigated and reported. The incorporation of alpha-1,3 glucan in these EVA composites resulted in the improvement of key composite properties, such as toughness, modulus, wear resistance, and hardness showing the reinforcing potential of these engineered polysaccharides.
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