Preparation and properties of glass fiber/PBAT shape memory composites

Purpose The purpose of this study is to improve the mechanical properties of PBAT. Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) has excellent biodegradability, which has been widely used in various fields, such as biomedical supplies, plastic packaging materials, industrial composting and daily sanitary consumables. However, the application of PBAT is limited by its high production costs and poor mechanical property. In this study, the glass fiber (GF)/PBAT composites were prepared, and the effect of GF and the modifiers on the structure, mechanical properties and shape memory properties of the composites were investigated. Design/methodology/approach In this work, GF, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550) and chain extender ADR 4370 were selected as reinforcement, GF and chain extender, respectively. The GF/PBAT, KH550-modified GF/PBAT and ADR-modified GF/PBAT composites were prepared by melt blending, extrusion granulation and hot pressing. Findings The study showed that the fracture strength and elongation at break of PBAT decreased with the increasing of GF, and the decline is controlled after addition of KH550 and ADR 3470. When the GF content was low (such as 5 wt% and 10 wt%), KH550 significantly improved the mechanical properties of the composites. When the GF content was high (such as 20 wt% and 25 wt%), the mechanical properties of the composites were obviously improved by addition of ADR 3470. In addition, the shape memory fixity ratios (Rf) and shape memory recovery ratios (Rr) of the composites increased and decreased with increase of GF content, the prestrain and tensile temperature, respectively. Furthermore, the Rf of the KH550 modified GF/PBAT composites were the lowest, the Rr were the highest than that of the ADR modified GF/PBAT composites and the untreated GF/PBAT composites. Research limitations/implications GF/PBAT composites exhibited good mechanical properties and low production costs. The research can help promote the widespread use of PBAT and alleviate the situation of serious plastic pollution. Originality/value A novel biodegradable GF/PBAT composite was developed by chain extender ADR 4370, incorporating environmentally friendly GF with excellent mechanical properties into PBAT.