Poly Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate Instruction:

Poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) is a biodegradable polymer synthesized from petrochemical resources. PBAT has a very high elongation at break, which makes PBAT one of the most promising alternatives to LDPE packaging films. However, the applicability of PBAT films is still limited by low strength. In this work, we used polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG-600) as a coating agent to modify the surface of calcium carbonate. A series of PBAT/CaCO3 composite films with different CaCO3 particle sizes. The effects of particle size and capping agent content of CaCO3 filler on the mechanical.

The biodegradation properties were tested by burying the samples in soil or artificial seawater for 90 days. The results showed that the addition of PEG-600 improved the compatibility between the matrix and the CaCO3 filler, since the polar -OH group of PEG has a high affinity for the polar surface of CaCO3. In addition, the hydrophilicity of PEG-600 increased the diffusivity of water molecules and promoted the degradation of PBAT. This work provides experimental data and theoretical guidance to support the development of high-performance PBAT/calcium carbonate films for the disposable packaging industry.

PBAT Description:

PBAT‘s properties can be tuned by varying the ratio of its monomer units. They are typically similar to those of high or low density polyethylene, and thus can be used for similar applications in food packaging and agricultural film applications. Furthermore, PBAT is fully biodegradable (compostable) and can be processed on conventional blown film equipment used for polyethylene. PBAT has also been investigated as a toughening agent for poly(lactic acid) PLA.

PBAT is a thermoplastic biodegradable plastic, which is a copolymer of butylene adipate and butylene terephthalate. PBAT has the characteristics of both PBA and PBT, with good ductility and elongation at break, as well as good heat resistance and impact performance; in addition, PBAT has excellent biodegradability, and is one of the most popular in biodegradable plastic research and market application.