Biopolymers

The production of materials based on biodegradable polymers by industrial processings requires specific investigations in order to control and tune the final properties of the materials produced in particular addressing thermal stability, mechanical propeeties, compostability and sustainability. In particular biodegradable polyerster such as polylactic acid (PLA), and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are brittle materials with relatively low glass transition temperature and slow crystallization. These polyesters require an accurate control of processing parameters in order to predict and achieve the targeted final properties. Systematic studies on different amount and types of plasticizers, nucleatings and strengthening agents, addressing chemical, rheological, morphological, thermal and mechanical properties of these materials are necessary in order to predict their behaviour and be able to exploit their potentialities. Moreover a depper study addressing the morphology and cinetic of crystallinity is also very important to understand and control the behavious of this material during and after processing. The present contribute reviews the study of the effect of plasticizers, and nucleating agents on crystallinity and properties of PLA and PHA as addressed also in the research activity of the EC projects DIBBIOPACK GA 280676 and LEGUVAL GA 314251.