Degradability of extruded polyethylene/chitosan blends compatibilized with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride under natural weathering

Dora Evelia Rodríguez-Félix, Jesús Manuel Quiroz-Castillo*, Heriberto Grijalva-Monteverde, Teresa Del Castillo-Castro, Silvia Elena Burruel-Ibarra, Francisco Rodríguez-Félix, Tomás Madera-Santana, Rafael Enrique Cabanillas, Pedro Jesús Herrera-Franco

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The impact of chitosan on the natural weathering behavior of two blends obtained by mixing either polyethylene (PE) with chitosan or PE, chitosan and polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PEgMA) as a compatibilizer is analyzed. In order to follow the weathering behavior of both the uncompatibilized and compatibilized systems, the blend films are exposed to outdoor conditions for 6 months. The weathering behavior of the films is monitored by mechanical tests, spectroscopic Fourier transform infrared, and morphological analyses at different weathering periods of time. The presence of chitosan in the blends accelerates significantly the degradation of the films. Apparently, PEgMA also accelerates the photo-oxidation rate of the films. This behavior appears to be related to the photo-oxidative instability of maleic anhydride, and also to the better dispersion of chitosan in the PE matrix, which is due to the interactions in the PE/chitosan interface caused by the addition of the compatibilizer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number41045
JournalJournal of Applied Polymer Science
Volume131
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Nov 2014

Keywords

  • mechanical properties
  • polyolefins
  • polysaccharides
  • properties and characterization

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