BIODEGRADABLE THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITIONS
A biodegradable thermoplastic composition includes about 10 to about 80 wt. % of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate); about 10 to about 80 wt. % of a copolymer, wherein the copolymer comprises polypropylene units and poly(3-hydroxibutyrate) units; about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % of a compatibilizer; and about 0.2 to about 10 wt. % of a pro-degradation additive, wherein the pro-degradation additive comprises a transition metal stearate; and wherein the weight percents are based on the total weight of the biodegradable thermoplastic composition. These compositions comply with global standards regarding biodegradable materials and can be used in a wide array of applications, such as cosmetic containers, cell phones, laptops and packaging applications.
1 . A thermoplastic composition, comprising:
about 10 to about 80 wt. % of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate);
about 10 to about 80 wt. % of a copolymer, wherein the copolymer comprises polypropylene units and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) units;
about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % of a compatibilizer; and
about 0.2 to about 10 wt. % of a pro-degradation additive, wherein the pro-degradation additive comprises a transition metal stearate; where the weight percents are based on the total weight of the thermoplastic composition.
2 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the pro-degradation additive is manganese stearate.
3 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the compatibilizer is a maleic anhydride grafted polyolefin.
4 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the compatibilizer is propylene grafted maleic anhydride.
5 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the compatibilizer is ethylene methyl acrylate.
6 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition comprises about 35 to about 45 wt. % of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate).
7 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition comprises about 45 to about 65 wt. % of the copolymer comprising polypropylene units and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) units.
8 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition comprises about 1 to about 4 wt. % of the compatibilizer.
9 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition comprises about 0.2 to about 2 wt. % of the pro-degradation additive.
10 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer is a linear copolymer, a graft copolymer, or a combination thereof.
11 . The thermoplastic composition of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer is a star block copolymer.
12 . An article of manufacture comprising the thermoplastic composition of claim 1 .
13 . The article of manufacture of claim 12 , wherein the article of manufacture is an injection-molded bottle, a plastic film, a cosmetic container, a cell phone, a laptop, or a package component.
14 . A method of forming a thermoplastic composition comprising:
combining about 10 to about 80 wt. % of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate); about 10 to about 80 wt. % of a copolymer, wherein the copolymer comprises polypropylene units and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) units; about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % of a compatibilizer; and about 0.2 to about 10 wt. % of a pro-degradation additive, wherein the pro-degradation additive comprises a transition metal stearate; and wherein the weight percents are based on the total weight of the thermoplastic composition.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising molding the thermoplastic composition to form an article.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the molding comprises injection molding.