Toward the Improvement of Maleic Anhydride Functionalization in Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB): Effect of Styrene Monomer and Sn(Oct)(2) Catalyst

In this work, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was maleic anhydride (MA)-grafted in the molten state, using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a reaction initiator. Tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sn(Oct)(2)) and styrene monomer (St.) were used to maximize the maleic anhydride grafting degree. When PHB was modified with MA/DCP and MA/DCP/Sn(Oct)(2), viscosity was reduced, suggesting chain scission in relation to pure PHB. However, when the styrene monomer was added, the viscosity increased due to multiple grafts of MA and styrene into the PHB chain. In addition, the FTIR showed the formation of a new band at 1780 cm(−1) and 704 cm(−1), suggesting a multiphase copolymer PHB-g-(St-co-MA). The PHB (MA/DCP) system showed a grafting degree of 0.23%; however, the value increased to 0.39% with incorporating Sn(Oct)(2). The highest grafting efficiency was for the PHB (MA/DCP/St.) system with a value of 0.91%, while the PHB (MA/DCP/St./Sn(Oct)(2)) hybrid mixture was reduced to 0.73%. The chemical modification process of PHB with maleic anhydride increased the thermal stability by about 20 °C compared with pure PHB. The incorporation of 0.5 phr of the Sn(Oct)(2) catalyst increased the efficiency of the grafting degree in the PHB. However, the St./Sn(Oct)(2) hybrid mixture caused a deleterious effect on the maleic anhydride grafting degree.