Improving Processability of Biopolyesters for Sustainable Construction Materials

Improving Processability of Biopolyesters for Sustainable Construction Materials
Due to continued concern over environmental impact and sustainability of materials, poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), a family of bacterial polyesters, have been growing in popularity.  PHAs have properties comparable to the conventional plastic polypropylene (PP), with the added benefits of biodegradability, biorenewability, and no toxicity.  However, they have a narrow thermal processing window and poor mechanical properties that limit its application.  In collaboration with the Civil Engineering Department, we are focused on enhancing the processability of PHAs for applications in construction materials via chemical modification, physical blending, processing additives, and understanding thermodynamics to optimize processing conditions.  Specifically, we use extrusion, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and more to produce and characterize biodegradable PHA foams for insulation and structural applications.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Green Materials, Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.