Property reinforcement of poly(propylene carbonate) by simultaneous incorporation of poly(lactic acid) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this study, by directly melt-blending with 10 wt% poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and 1.5 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), yield strength of a biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) was increased more than one order of magnitude, and its Young’s modulus was enhanced by 8 times. Meanwhile, the high elongation at break of PPC was maintained. This overall property reinforcement could not be observed by adding either PLA or CNTs separately. At room temperature, the obtained mechanical properties of the reinforced PPC are comparable to or even better than those of some traditional petroleum-based polymers such as low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene and polypropylene (PP). Together with good biodegradability and excellent conductivity, the PPC/PLA/CNT composites prepared in this work exhibit a potential to be used as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymers such as PP around room temperature.