The present study evaluates biodegradation of the polyblends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) in different compositions and comparison of the properties of those blends with that of neat PLA and neat PCL. The samples were melt extruded and blended to evaluate the environmental fate of the polyblends under simulated composting conditions following the standard ASTM International D5338-15 protocol. It was seen that blends with a higher concentration of PCL and MCC in the PLA matrix showed higher carbon mineralization percentage in comparison to the blends having low PCL and MCC components. Molecular weight analysis of the samples showed a decrease in their weight due to chain scission mechanism leading to the formation of intermediates. Analytical techniques revealed the formation of microbial biofilms on the blended biopolymeric surfaces. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the formation of fibril-like structures by PLA, and the formation of rough patches on the PCL surface re-confirmed biodegradation of the samples. This work fuels interest in the material characterization of PLA/PCL/MCC based polyblends and helps in tuning the biodegradability of the studied samples according to the demands.

中文翻译：

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堆肥条件下的聚乳酸（PLA）/聚己内酯（PCL）/微晶纤维素（MCC）共混物的寿命终止评估和生物降解。

本研究评估了聚乳酸（PLA），聚己内酯（PCL）和微晶纤维素（MCC）在不同组成下的共混物的生物降解性，并比较了这些掺合物与纯PLA和纯PCL的性能。遵循标准ASTM International D5338-15的规定，在模拟堆肥条件下将样品熔融挤出并混合以评估多掺混物的环境状况。可以看出，与具有低PCL和MCC组分的共混物相比，PLA基质中PCL和MCC浓度较高的共混物显示出更高的碳矿化百分比。样品的分子量分析表明，由于断链机理导致中间体的形成，其重量有所减少。分析技术揭示了在混合的生物聚合物表面上形成了微生物生物膜。场发射扫描电子显微镜显示，PLA形成了原纤维状结构，而PCL表面上的粗糙斑块的形成再次证实了样品的生物降解性。这项工作激发了人们对基于PLA / PCL / MCC的混合纤维材料表征的兴趣，并有助于根据需要调整所研究样品的生物降解能力。