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Conductive polymer biocomposites based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) with various graphene fillers for thermistor applications

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Abstract

The main objective of this research was to develop highly efficient conductive biopolymer composite films for pyroresistive and temperature sensors. Natural poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was chosen as the base biopolymer material, and graphene nanomaterials of different structures, including raw and oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets, were used as conductive fillers. The fabrication process involved a simple solvent casting procedure, where the conductive graphene fillers were incorporated into the biopolymer matrix without additional procedures. Due to the high crystallinity and poor film-forming ability of PHBV, a commercial poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was added as a modifier to improve the film quality. Through optimization, a PHBV/PBAT mass ratio of 50:50 was identified as the most promising composition to achieve composite films with desirable mechanical properties. The influence of graphene material structure and concentration on the crystallinity, thermal, mechanical, electrical, and piezoresistive properties of the composites was investigated. The results demonstrated that the PHBV/PBAT matrix filled with graphene materials has the potential to fully replace conventional structural composite materials, such as polypropylene, with biomaterials, making them suitable for a wide range of applications, including pyroresistive sensors.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially realized in the frame of the project “Processing and joining of new functionalized biopolymer materials” between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2022-2024), and Polish-Ukrainian Laboratory ADPOLCOM “Formation and characterization of advanced polymers and polymer composites” localized in Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as in the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry and E.O. Paton Welding Institute of National Academy of Science of Ukraine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, Zabrze, 34 M. Curie-Sklodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland

    Viktoriia Talaniuk, Marcin Godzierz, Wanda Sikorska, Grażyna Adamus, Anastasiia Kobyliukh & Urszula Szeluga

  2. E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 11. Kazymyr Malevych St., Kiev, 03680, Ukraine

    Viktoriia Talaniuk & Maksym Iurhenko

  3. International Polish-Ukrainian Research Laboratory ADPOLCOM, Zabrze, 34 M. Curie-Sklodowska Str., 41-819, Zabrze, Poland

    Viktoriia Talaniuk, Marcin Godzierz, Maksym Iurhenko, Wanda Sikorska, Grażyna Adamus, Anastasiia Kobyliukh & Urszula Szeluga

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  1. Viktoriia Talaniuk
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the material preparation, data collection and analysis. The study conception and design were prepared by MG and US. The investigation was performed by VT, WS, MI and AK. The first draft of the manuscript was written by VT and AK and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. The final version of manuscript has been prepared by MG, US and GA. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marcin Godzierz or Urszula Szeluga.

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Talaniuk, V., Godzierz, M., Iurhenko, M. et al. Conductive polymer biocomposites based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) with various graphene fillers for thermistor applications. J Therm Anal Calorim 149, 2593–2607 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12844-4

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