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Experimental and theoretical study of the erosion of semi-crystalline polymers and the subsequent generation of microparticles
- Source :
- Soft Matter, Soft Matter, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019, ⟨10.1039/C9SM01482A⟩, Soft Matter, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019, 15 (41), pp.8302-8312. ⟨10.1039/C9SM01482A⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- HAL CCSD, 2019.
-
Abstract
- International audience; The increase of plastics and microplastics in the environment is a major environmental challenge. Still, little is known about the degradation kinetics of macroplastics into smaller particles, under the joint actions of micro-organisms and physico-chemical factors, like UV or mechanical constraints. In order to gain insight into (bio)-degradation in various media, we perform accelerated erosion experiments by using a well-known enzymatic system. We show that the microstructure of semi-crystalline polymers plays a crucial role in the pattern formation at their surface. For the first time, the release of fragments of micrometric size is evidenced, through a mechanism that does not involve fracture propagation. A geometric erosion model allows a quantitative understanding of erosion rates and surface patterns, and provides a critical heterogeneity size, parting two types of behavior: spherulites either released, or eroded in situ. This new geometric approach could constitute a useful tool to predict the erosion kinetics and micro-particle generation in various media.
- Subjects :
- chemistry.chemical_classification
Microplastics
Materials science
Degradation kinetics
Kinetics
Pattern formation
02 engineering and technology
General Chemistry
Polymer
010402 general chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
Microstructure
01 natural sciences
0104 chemical sciences
chemistry
Erosion
[PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]
Composite material
0210 nano-technology
Joint (geology)
[PHYS.COND.CM-SCM]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Soft Condensed Matter [cond-mat.soft]
ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1744683X and 17446848
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Soft Matter, Soft Matter, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019, ⟨10.1039/C9SM01482A⟩, Soft Matter, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019, 15 (41), pp.8302-8312. ⟨10.1039/C9SM01482A⟩
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fc9c0974cc015d7214e31e6f9d977487