Biodegradable composites based on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate), nanocellulose and graphene: from rheology to microstructure

• Grant number: 23/14291-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: September 15, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Agreement: CNPq
• Principal Investigator: Guilhermino José Macêdo Fechine
• Grantee: Danilo Diniz Siqueira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia (EE). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/00894-3 - Biodegradable composites based on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate), nanocellulose and graphene: from rheology to microstructure, AP.R

Abstract

Biodegradable polymers such as poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) present themselves as a possible alternative to the environmental disadvantages associated with petroleum-derived polymers. However, the mechanical properties of PHBV are below what is desired for technological applications. The addition of graphene and derivatives as well as nanocellulose crystals has the potential to reinforce PHBV, in order to generate composite materials with mechanical properties suitable for large-scale production and applications. This proposal presents a work plan focused on the rheological characterization, using shear and extensional flows, of nanocomposites based on PHBV and nanocellulose crystals associated with graphene and graphene oxide. The expected results include the development of a three-phase composite, and the association of the composite's rheological behavior with the morphology of the dispersed phases.