Investigation on improvement of thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of lignin/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) using inorganic nanoparticles as fillers

In this study, four typical biocomposites from lignin blended with poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBH) using inorganic nanoparticles (INPs) (SiO2, MMT, CaCO3, and BN) as fillers were evaluated, which enhanced the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of composites. The results revealed that the selection of suitable INPs doped into the lignin/PHBH (L/P) composites was an important approach to achieve available function. MMT/L/P nanocomposites were significantly higher than those of untreated L/P composites in thermal stability (T-max exceed 10%) and barrier properties (water vapor and oxygen resistance increased by 48% and 46%), and BN particles increased the initial thermal decomposition temperature by 8%. The elongation at break of CaCO3/L/P and BN/L/P composites were increased by 344% and 319%, while SiO2/L/P composites had the best tensile strength (18.8 MPa). Besides, the INPs/L/P nanocomposites in this paper exhibited excellent ultraviolet (UV) resistance and might become potential anti-UV packaging materials for grease foods.

Automated summary

This study evaluated four different biocomposites made from lignin blended with poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBH) and inorganic nanoparticles (INPs) as fillers. The results showed that the selection of suitable INPs was crucial in enhancing the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of the composites. MMT/L/P nanocomposites exhibited the best performance in terms of thermal stability and barrier properties.