Toughening Effect of 2,5-Furandicaboxylate Polyesters on Polylactide-Based Renewable Fibers

Giulia Fredi; Edoardo Zonta; Alessandro Dussin; Dimitrios N Bikiaris; George Z Papageorgiou; Luca Fambri; Andrea Dorigato

doi:10.3390/molecules28124811

Toughening Effect of 2,5-Furandicaboxylate Polyesters on Polylactide-Based Renewable Fibers

Molecules. 2023 Jun 16;28(12):4811. doi: 10.3390/molecules28124811.

Authors

Giulia Fredi¹, Edoardo Zonta¹, Alessandro Dussin¹, Dimitrios N Bikiaris², George Z Papageorgiou³, Luca Fambri¹, Andrea Dorigato¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Industrial Engineering and INSTM Research Unit, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy.
² Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Chemistry Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.

Abstract

This work presents the successful preparation and characterization of polylactide/poly(propylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PLA/PPF) and polylactide/poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PLA/PBF) blends in form of bulk and fiber samples and investigates the influence of poly(alkylene furanoate) (PAF) concentration (0 to 20 wt%) and compatibilization on the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Both blend types, although immiscible, are successfully compatibilized by Joncryl (J), which improves the interfacial adhesion and reduces the size of PPF and PBF domains. Mechanical tests on bulk samples show that only PBF is able to effectively toughen PLA, as PLA/PBF blends with 5-10 wt% PBF showed a distinct yield point, remarkable necking propagation, and increased strain at break (up to 55%), while PPF did not show significant plasticizing effects. The toughening ability of PBF is attributed to its lower glass transition temperature and greater toughness than PPF. For fiber samples, increasing the PPF and PBF amount improves the elastic modulus and mechanical strength, particularly for PBF-containing fibers collected at higher take-up speeds. Remarkably, in fiber samples, plasticizing effects are observed for both PPF and PBF, with significantly higher strain at break values compared to neat PLA (up to 455%), likely due to a further microstructural homogenization, enhanced compatibility, and load transfer between PLA and PAF phases following the fiber spinning process. SEM analysis confirms the deformation of PPF domains, which is probably due to a "plastic-rubber" transition during tensile testing. The orientation and possible crystallization of PPF and PBF domains contribute to increased tensile strength and elastic modulus. This work showcases the potential of PPF and PBF in tailoring the thermo-mechanical properties of PLA in both bulk and fiber forms, expanding their applications in the packaging and textile industry.

Keywords: blends; compatibilization; fibers; furan polyesters; poly(alkylene furanoate)s; polylactide; renewable polymers.

Abstract

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