Wood plastic composites from poly(propylene carbonate) and poplar wood flour – Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties

• Wood plastic composite (WPC) of biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC).
• Sustainable poplar wood flour as filler.
• Grafting of PPC with maleic anhydride.
• PPC with exceedingly good contact to filler.
• Properties of the PPC poplar WPC.

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) prepared from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide (PO) under the action of zinc glutarate was blended with poplar wood flour. PPC was also grafted with maleic anhydride (MA) resulting in a matrix of higher compatibility with poplar fibers. The wood plastic composites (WPCs) were characterized by thermal, mechanical and rheological methods. Processing was possible by common thermoplastic methods up to a filler content of 50 wt%. Composting of 100 μm films results in a weight loss and leads to disintegration of the composite.

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