Influence of reprocessing cycles on mechanical and antibacterial performances of hygienic in situ compatibilized PBS/PLA blends doped with HPQM

A spontaneous combination of hygienic in situ compatibilized polybutylene succinate/polylactic acids (PBS/PLA) was formulated through the addition of optimum dosages of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), which was a fundamental motivator, and 2-hydroxypropyl-3-piperazinyl-quinoline carboxylic acid methacrylate (HPQM) as an antibacterial agent via a melt blending process. The effect of reprocessing the mechanical and natural attributes, as well as the hygienic effectiveness to counter the Escherichia coli of the PBS/PLA combinations were explored. The outcomes demonstrated that varying processing cycles affected the rupture performance of the PBS/PLA blends. Furthermore, the toughness of the PBS/PLA blends rose as the number of cycles escalated. Three processing cycles exhibited the highest elongation at the break and tensile toughness, while the number of processing cycles did not have any major negative impact on the tensile modulus and strength. For the effect of the number of the processing cycles of the hygienic effectiveness against the E. coli on the PBS/PLA blends doped with HPQM, the percentages of bacterial reduction appeared to rise as the contact time was increased, but decreased with the increasing number of cycles. The study suggested that the PBS/PLA blends could be reprocessed up to three times and still retain their optimal properties. © 2021, Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.