Accelerated Disintegration of Compostable Ecovio Polymer by Using ZnO Particles As Filler

ZnO compounds exert a catalytic effect on the degradation of polyesters and could affect the biodegradability of such polymers. Herein, composites of 2 wt% of ZnO particles and biodegradable commercial Ecovio polymer, a blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and a copolyester, are prepared by melt extrusion process to further study the effect of the incorporation of ZnO particles on the biodegradability of this polyester under composting conditions. Different nano- and micro-sized ZnO particles are employed to investigate the effect of the size, morphology, and surface charge of ZnO on the physicochemical properties of the polymeric composite and nanocomposite by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The influence of such compounds on the compost disintegradability is further investigated by different techniques including, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), confocal Raman microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX). The results demonstrate that the ZnO particles significantly accelerate the disintegration process of the Ecovio polymeric blend under a composting environment. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.