Abstract
Design and development of environmentally benign materials have led to development of polymer foams derived from biodegradable polymers. Driven by the environmental concerns regarding polymers in general, lots of attention has been diverted to the utilization of biopolymer foams as a potential replacement for most currently used polymer foams derived from non-biodegradable polymers. In this work, environmentally benign PLA-based blend foams containing cellulose nanostructures were developed through melt-processing and solvent casting processing techniques. Polylactide (PLA)/poly(-caprolactone) (PCL) blend foams containing both unmodified and modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNs), and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were prepared through melt-processing using azodicarbonamide as a chemical blowing agent, while PLA/poly[(butylene succinate)-adipate] (PBSA) blend foams containing CNs at different concentrations were also prepared through casting and particulate leaching technique (CPL). The morphologies of the foams were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The storage moduli of the foams were determined using dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). Further, the thermal stabilities of the foams were examined using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Both crystalline and chemical structures were determined using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique and attenuated Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively...
M.Sc. (Chemistry)