Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
13:46
A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate PolyLactic Acid Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size
Published on: October 17, 2016
8.8K
An environmentally sustainable plasticizer toughened polylactide
Hailan Kang1, Yushi Li1, Ming Gong1
1College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology Shenyang 110142 China fqh80@126.com.
RSC Advances
|May 11, 2022
Summary
Cardanol (CD), a natural plasticizer from cashew nutshell liquid, enhances polylactide (PLA) properties. This "double green" material shows improved flexibility and toughness, suitable for biomedical uses.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Polylactide (PLA) is an eco-friendly bioplastic.
- Developing effective and sustainable plasticizers for PLA is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cardanol (CD) as a sustainable plasticizer for PLA.
- To investigate the miscibility, plasticizing efficiency, and mechanical properties of PLA/CD blends.
Main Methods:
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
- Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA)
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Melt rheology measurements
Main Results:
- PLA and CD exhibit good miscibility at low CD content.
- CD significantly reduced PLA's glass transition temperature and improved its crystallization.
- Ultimate elongation and impact toughness increased by 31-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively, at 10 wt% CD.
- Melt viscosity and shear modulus decreased with CD addition.
Conclusions:
- Cardanol is an effective plasticizer for PLA, enhancing its mechanical properties.
- PLA/CD blends meet "double green" criteria (renewable and biodegradable).
- The non-cytotoxic nature of the blends suggests potential for biomedical applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Plasticizers
116
Water-reducers, or plasticizers, are chemical admixtures used in concrete to improve strength and workability. These additives reduce the water-cement ratio without compromising workability, lower the cement content while maintaining the same workability, or increase workability to assist concrete placement in inaccessible areas.
Plasticizers function by using surface-active agents to create repulsive electrostatic forces between cement particles. This dispersion enhances the concrete's...
Plasticizers function by using surface-active agents to create repulsive electrostatic forces between cement particles. This dispersion enhances the concrete's...
116
01:20Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters
2.3K
The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the...
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the...
2.3K
01:30Superplasticizers
122
Superplasticizers are advanced admixtures that enhance the workability of concrete by lowering the water content without compromising the strength of the material. These substances are highly effective water reducers, improving concrete flow, making it easier to work with, and enabling concrete to reach inaccessible areas or densely reinforced sections without mechanical vibration. The key components in superplasticizers are either sulfonated melamine or naphthalene formaldehyde condensates,...
122
01:14Polymer Classification: Architecture
3.1K
Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
3.1K
01:26Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
2.7K
Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...
2.7K
01:21Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
3.2K
Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
3.2K