Desenvolvimento de blendas de biopolietilenos verdes PEAD/PELBD.

Abstract

Biopolymers are polymers or copolymers made from raw materials of renewable sources, such as corn, sugarcane, sugar, cellulose, chitin and others. Green biopolymers are also synthesized from renewable raw materials, however, are not biodegradable and maintain the same characteristics of the polymers obtained from fossil sources. An example of green polymer is biopolyethylene (BioPE). The aim of this work is to develop polymer blends from two types of biopolyethylene (Bio High Density Polyethylene - BioPEAD / Bio Linear Low Density Polyethylene - BioPELBD) and to evaluate the effect of the composition on various properties and morphology. The BioPEAD/BioPELBD blends were prepared by extrusion, in a co-rotational twin-screw extruder, followed by injection molding and characterized by rheological measurements under steady and oscillatory shear flows, mechanical properties, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). From the rheological measurements under steady shear flow, it was found that the apparent viscosity followed the rule of additivity, and the viscosity and degree of pseudoplasticity varied proportionally with concentration. Rheological measurements under oscillatory shear flow showed that the complex viscosity values of the blends increased at low frequencies (plateau region) and intermediate values were obtained for the blends, when compared to neat BioPEAD and BioPELBD. The values of the viscosity obtained in the oscillatory shear flow were similar to those obtained under steady shear flow, suggesting that the Cox-Merz rule was obeyed. The rheological measurements also suggested that BioPEAD and BioPELBD were partially miscible. The mechanical properties results showed that the increase in BioPELBD content decreased the tensile strength and elastic modulus. On the other hand, the elongation to break, and thus the toughness, and the impact strength have substantially increased. The XRD results showed that the crystallinity of BioPEAD decreased with the increase in the PELBD content in the BIOPEAD/BioPELBD blends. From SEM micrographs, it was observed that with the increase in the BioPELBD content the amount of dispersed phase particles was substantially decreased, being imperceptible when the concentration of 50% of BioPELBD was reached, suggesting phase cocontinuity. DSC results showed a reduction of the melting temperature peak value as BioPELBD content was increased, indicating a decrease in the crystallite size and therefore a reduction in the crystallinity of the blends. From the TG results, it was observed that the blends exhibited higher thermal stability than that of both BioPEAD and BioPELBD.