A promising and green strategy for recycling waste oyster shell powder as bio-filler in polypropylene via mycelium-enlightened interfacial interlocking

With the booming of the aquaculture industry, waste seashell is now causing serious environmental crisis and its recycling has now been drawn great attention in both academic and industrial field. In this study, enlightened by mycelium, a thermally tunable interlocking morphology has been introduced into the interface between polypropylene (PP) and shell powder via self-assembly of beta-form nucleating agent (NAs). The thermodynamic and kinetic factors such as maximum heating temperature, heating time and cooling rate exhibited a great impact on the migration of the NAs molecules, which accordingly determined the crystalline morphology and the interlocking. The mycelium-mimic interlocking could significantly improve the interfacial interaction and enhance impact toughness of PP by an increase of 69% without deteriorating tensile strength. Free from organic solvent and compatibilizer, it is considered as a green and sustainable route for recycling bio-based waste oyster shell powder as bio-fillers. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.