Degradable materials

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a degradable material comprising (a) from about 60 weight percent to about 97 weight percent of a first material based on the total weight of the degradable material, and (b) from about 3 weight percent to about 40 weight percent of a second material based on the total weight of the degradable material, where the second material is an oligomer comprising lactate and giycolate. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a degradable material comprising (a) poly lactic acid, and (b) an oligomer comprising lactate and giycolate, wherein the degradable material has a Tg less than 56° C. In still another aspect, the present disclosure provides a degradable material comprising (a) poly lactic acid, and (b) an oligomer comprising lactate and giycolate, wherein the degradable material has a tan delta peak of less than 65° C. It has been surprisingly found that the degradable materials according to the present disclosure provide physical properties that are not inherent to poly lactic acid alone. It has also been surprisingly found that the degradable materials disclosed herein provide improvements with respect to the processability, production costs, flexibility and ductility without decreasing their degradability.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to degradable materials. Background technique [0002] Degradable materials have been used in a variety of applications due to their ability to degrade and / or produce desired degradation products. One such application is the use of degradable materials as packaging and other single-use materials to facilitate the sale and / or consumption of ingestible materials. Such disposable materials are desired by consumers and retailers because they can be simply disposed of after use without having to be washed and cleaned like dishes, cutlery, and the like. Unfortunately, the widespread and growing use of such packaging and single-use materials creates an ever-increasing amount of trash and waste that needs to be disposed of. This rubbish or waste is thrown into garbage incinerators or piled up in dumps. These waste disposal methods can cause many environmental problems. [0003] Poly(lactic acid) ("PLA") has been used as a degradable material bec...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

For this reason, PLA cannot be classified as disposed of in landfills or landfills where conditions are anaerobic for biodegradation and temperatures are not high enough for hydrolytic degradation

Images