Ultrafast bulk degradation of polylactic acid by artificially cultured diatom frustules

Li，Tao1,2; Sun，Haoyang2; Han，He2; Zhang，Chentao2; Li，Bin2; Huang，Jintao2; Sun，Dazhi2

2022-05-26

10.1016/j.compscitech.2022.109410

COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY   影响因子和分区

0266-3538

In the field of governing our “Plastic Planet”, polylactic acid (PLA) has been considered to be a promising and ecologically friendlier alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics. However, PLA-based products degrade slowly in the natural environment, likely resulting in a large accumulation of PLA waste worldwide in the near future. Herein, we have incorporated artificially cultured diatom frustules (DFs) into PLA, and found an improvement of more than eightfold on the degradation rate, from more than 24 months to 3 months or even less, as compared with the pure PLA. Mechanistic investigations illustrate that DFs change the degradation behavior of PLA from surface erosion to bulk erosion by the induced microfibril crystals. Simulation analysis verifies that the unstable crack propagation inside the PLA matrix greatly accelerates the degradation. The method developed in this work provides an efficient way to achieve rapid and adjustable degradation of biodegradable polymers for the urgent and widespread usage of green plastic productions.

Bulk degradation Diatom frustule Microfibril crystal Poly(lactic acid) Porous silica

EI

英语

通讯

20221812044498

Biodegradable polymers ; Crystals ; Degradation ; Erosion ; Silica

Chemical Reactions:802.2 ; Polymeric Materials:815.1 ; Organic Polymers:815.1.1 ; Crystalline Solids:933.1

MATERIALS SCIENCE

2-s2.0-85128951756

Scopus

1.School of Materials Science and Engineering,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin,Heilongjiang,150001,China
2.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Oxide Materials and Devices,Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,518055,China

Li，Tao,Sun，Haoyang,Han，He,et al. Ultrafast bulk degradation of polylactic acid by artificially cultured diatom frustules[J]. COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,2022,223.

Li，Tao.,Sun，Haoyang.,Han，He.,Zhang，Chentao.,Li，Bin.,...&Sun，Dazhi.(2022).Ultrafast bulk degradation of polylactic acid by artificially cultured diatom frustules.COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,223.

Li，Tao,et al."Ultrafast bulk degradation of polylactic acid by artificially cultured diatom frustules".COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 223(2022).