Water absorption of biomass fillers to impact the degradation of poly(butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) composites

Abstract In this work, two kinds of biomass fillers including reed and wheat straw with similar sizes at micrometer scale were used as filler and poly(butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) as matrix to prepare high‐performance composite materials and to use for the research of enzymatic degradation. Accordingly, hard PBAT composites with average bending strength and modulus at 12 and 1100 MPa were prepared. With the progress of enzymatic degradation, water absorption of the biomass fillers to promote the degradation of PBAT matrix was clearly revealed. The strong water absorption of biomass filler led to the large degradation rate. During the degradation within 90 days, the mechanical properties of PBAT/biomass fillers composites decreased to 23.7%. This study revealed the important factors of biomass fillers affecting the degradation behavior of PBAT in composite. Highlights • Two different biomass fillers are blended into PBAT to fabricate the composites. • All of the biomass fillers are similarly controlled at the micrometer level. • Water absorption of biomass filler promotes the degradation of the PBAT matrix. • Stronger water absorption induces quicker degradation rate. • After degradation, bending properties of PBAT composites obviously decrease.