Processing and Properties of Polymer Blends and Nanocomposites based on Polyhydroxyalkanoate-based Biodegradable Polymers

塑料废物是当今世界的一个关键问题，需要找到减少垃圾填埋场的方法， 海洋垃圾因此，特别关注的是从可以容易地制造的材料产生塑料。 以一种对环境无害的方式从生物圈中移除。因此，许多国家和公司 目标是开发生物降解塑料。聚羟基脂肪酸酯（PHA）是100%可生物降解的聚合物。 PHA是无毒的、生物相容的和可生物降解的热塑性塑料，其可以由可再生材料生产。 资源它们是各种HA的聚酯，由微生物使用有限浓度的 营养素它们具有类似于各种石油化工衍生商品塑料的性能， 聚丙烯，因此可以用作环境友好的替代品。他们也彻底 被土壤、海水、湖水中的微生物降解为水和二氧化碳或甲烷， 污水.因此，这些材料是理想的使用在一个环保意识的世界。 在这个项目中，我们将研究PHA的应用，使用共混物和纳米复合材料从这些衍生 独特的塑料材料。这将包括PHA性能与普通商品塑料的比较 如聚乙烯和聚苯乙烯，以确定新市场的优势和劣势。然后我们将 将PHA与不同类型的聚合物混合，以改善其在储罐中使用的重要性能， 工业化学品、农业、石油和天然气、建筑和运输。PHA将与 不同类型的填料，例如（1）纳米粘土、（2）碳纳米管和（3）二氧化硅球，以获得复合物 具有改进的电、热、机械和阻隔性能。我们将对PHA进行表征 和PHA基共混物和纳米复合材料，以确定其潜力。

Plastic waste is a critical issue in today's world and there is a need for finding ways to reduce landfills and ocean waste. Accordingly, there is a special interest in generating plastics from materials that can be readily removed from the biosphere in an environmentally benign fashion. Thus, many countries and companies are targeting developing biodegradable plastics. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are 100% biodegradable polymers. PHAs are non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable thermoplastics that can be produced from renewable resources. They are polyesters of various HAs, synthesized by microorganisms using a limited concentration of nutrients. They possess properties similar to various petrochemical-derived commodity plastics like polypropylene and hence can be used as an environmentally friendly substitute. They are also thoroughly degraded to water and carbon dioxide or to methane by micro-organisms found in soil, sea, lake water and sewage. Thus, these materials are ideal to use in an environmentally conscious world. In this project, we will investigate PHAs for applications using blends and nano composites derived from these unique plastic materials. This will include a comparison of PHA properties with common commodity plastics such as polyethylene and polystyrene to define the strengths and weaknesses for new markets. We will then blend PHA with different types of polymers to improve important properties for their use in storage tanks for industrial chemicals, agricultural, oil and gas, construction, and transportation. PHA will be mixed with different types of fillers such as (1) nanoclay, (2) carbon nanotube, and (3) silica spheres, to obtain composites with improved electrical, thermal, mechanical and barrier properties. We will perform characterization of PHA and PHA-based blends and nanocomposites to determine their potential.