Durability of PCL nanocomposites under different environments

Abstract

The stability of PCL/TiO2 nanocomposites under different environments was investigated. Samples were exposed to UV radiation in an accelerated weathering chamber equipment and characterized by viscosimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the presence of nanoparticles containing titanium enhanced polymer chain scission during UV exposure. For all samples, the melting temperature and crystallinity increased along photodegradation time. The biodegradability, assessed by biochemical oxygen demand, increased as the amount of inorganic particles increased. However, the thermal stability and activation energy evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis decreased as the amount of inorganic nanoparticles increased, indicating that nanocomposites exhibited lower thermal stability.