Development and abrasive wear characterization of an eggshell-based biofriendly polymeric nanocomposite

In this study, eggshell-based nanocomposites were fabricated using PB matrix (PB or PBAT: poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)) reinforced with eggshell nanoparticles (ESNPs, 10–30 wt.%), hereafter referred to as PBAT-eggshell nanocomposites (PB/ES NCs). The PB/ES NCs were synthesized through solvent-casting method, followed by mini-extrusion and mini-injection molding. The fabricated materials were characterized in terms of hygroscopicity behavior, surface roughness, thermal behavior, chemical constituents, crystallinity, mechanical performance, morphological features, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and abrasive wear. Evaluation revealed that the fabricated PB/ES NCs with 30 wt.% ESNPs (denoted as PB/30ES) exhibited reasonable mechanical performance. The PB/30ES demonstrated significant improvements of 55.56% in tensile strength, 34.20% in tensile moduli, 28.52% in flexural strength, 10.00% in flexural moduli, 10.96% in hardness (shore D), and 11.92% in elongation at break, as compared to PB/10ES. The PB/ES NCs demonstrated reasonable miscibility between the PB matrix and ESNPs, as observed through NMR analysis. The ESNPs serve as an eco-conscious substitute for polylactic acid (PLA) and conventional non-biodegradable polymers, offering improved tribological performance alongside sustainability and enhanced functional properties. The present investigation demonstrates the potential of PB/ES NCs as sustainable and biocompatible materials, for low-friction and better wear-resistance healthcare-related applications.