Thermal Degradation Of Bio-Nanocomposites

Bio-nanocomposites have attracted a great deal of attention over the last number of years due to the excellent characteristics the material has to offer. With ever increasing demands of environmental controls, more sustainable materials like bio-nanocomposites are required to substitute the various petropolymers utilised nowadays. These bio-based polymers provide exceptional performance and have smart properties that have proven useful to the food packaging industry and a wide range of other applications. This chapter reviews the recent developments of bio-nanocomposites where the related biodegradable polymers include Polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA). A concise history outlining the development of bio-nanocomposites materials is explored, while the importance of environmental conditions and in particular the rate of biodegradability is highlighted. Furthermore, this chapter addresses the steps of thermal degradation and the systematic approaches used to overcome these concerns. It discusses the behaviour of various nanoparticles on the thermal stability of biopolymers and other topics related to research challenges, future trends and applications.