Variation of the Tensile Properties of Basalt-Fiber-Reinforced Polybutylene Succinate Matrix Composites during Microbial Degradation

Lovisa Rova; Hiroki Kurita; Shinji Kudo; Sho Hatayama; Teruyoshi Kanno; Alia Gallet-Pandellé; Fumio Narita

doi:10.3390/polym15071796

Variation of the Tensile Properties of Basalt-Fiber-Reinforced Polybutylene Succinate Matrix Composites during Microbial Degradation

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Apr 5;15(7):1796. doi: 10.3390/polym15071796.

Authors

Lovisa Rova^{1

2}, Hiroki Kurita¹, Shinji Kudo³, Sho Hatayama⁴, Teruyoshi Kanno¹, Alia Gallet-Pandellé^{1

5}, Fumio Narita¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
² Department of Chemistry, Ångström Laboratory, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden.
³ Department of Ecosystem Studies, School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone 522-8533, Japan.
⁴ Department of Nutrition, School of Human Cultures, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone 522-8533, Japan.
⁵ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, INSA-Lyon, Université de Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.

Abstract

Little is known about how the strength of biodegradable polymers changes during decomposition. This study investigated the changes in the tensile properties of polybutylene succinate (PBS) and basalt-fiber (BF)-reinforced PBS (PBS-BF) composite sheets during degradation in bacterial solutions. Seven days after the start of the experiment, the elongation at break of the PBS specimens decreased significantly, and the PBS-BF composite specimens were characterized by barely any change in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) after immersion in the bacteria-free medium for 7 and 56 days. Meanwhile, when immersed in the bacterial solution, the UTS of the PBS-BF composite specimens showed a tendency to decrease after 7 days. After 56 days, the UTS decreased to about half of its value immediately after fabrication. The degradation of the material was attributed to infiltration of the bacterial solution into structurally weak areas, causing decomposition throughout the material.

Keywords: basalt fiber; biodegradable; decomposition; polybutylene succinate; tensile properties.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.