Articles Formed with Biodegradable Materials and Strength Characteristics of Same

Abstract

Described herein are strength characteristics and biodegradation of articles produced using one or more petrochemical-based polymers and one or more carbohydrate-based polymers. A compatibilizer can optionally be included in the article. In some cases, the article can include a film or bag.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article comprising:
 one or more starch-based polymeric materials; and   one or more polyolefin-based polymeric materials;   wherein the article has a dart drop impact test value from about 140 g to about 420 g.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more starch-based polymeric materials comprise one or more starches and one or more plasticizers. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more starches is derived from potato, corn, tapioca, or a combination thereof, and the plasticizer is glycerin. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more polyolefin-based polymeric materials comprise a polyethylene. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the article is a bag having a thickness from about 0.01 mm to about 0.1 mm and the bag includes a cavity having a volume from about 1 L to about 100 L. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more starch-based polymeric materials comprise about 20% by weight to about 40% by weight of the article;   the one or more polyolefin-based polymeric materials comprise about 60% by weight to 80% by weight of the article;   the article has a thickness from about 0.02 mm to about 0.05 mm; and   the article has a dart drop impact test value from about 265 g to about 330 g.   
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 1 , further comprising a compatibilizer present in an amount from about 1% by weight to about 9% by weight of the article. 
     
     
         8 . An article comprising:
 a starch-based polymeric material including a mixture of starches including a first amount of a first starch and a second amount of a second starch; and   a polyolefin-based polymeric material;   wherein the article has a dart drop impact test value that is greater than: (i) a first dart drop impact test value of a first article including the polyolefin-based polymeric material and a first starch-based polymeric material including a single starch comprised of the first starch, and (ii) a second dart drop impact test value of a second article including the polyolefin-based polymeric material and a second starch-based polymeric material including a single starch comprised of the second starch.   
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the starch-based polymeric material comprises one or more plasticizers. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the first starch is derived from one of potato, corn, or tapioca; and the second starch is derived from a different one of potato, corn, or tapioca. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein starch-based polymeric material is present in an amount from about 20% by weight to about 30% by weight of the article and the polyolefin-based polymeric material is present in an amount from about 65% by weight to about 75% by weight of the article. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the first starch comprises from about 10% by weight to about 25% by weight of the starch-based polymeric material, and the second starch comprises from about 55% to 85% of the starch-based polymeric material. 
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the starch-based polymeric material includes a third starch;   the third starch comprises from about 10% by weight to about 25% by weight of the starch-based polymeric material; and   the dart drop impact test value of the articles is greater than a third dart drop impact test value of a third article including the polyolefin-based polymeric material and a third starch-based polymeric material including a single starch comprised of the third starch.   
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the article has a tensile elongation at break value in the machine direction that is greater than an additional tensile elongation at break value in the machine direction of an additional article formed from the polyolefin-based polymeric material and is free of starch-based polymeric materials. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 9 , further comprising a compatibilizer present in an amount of about 3% by weight to about 7% by weight of the article. 
     
     
         16 . A process comprising:
 providing one or more petrochemical-based polymeric materials;   providing one or more carbohydrate-based polymeric materials;   mixing the one or more petrochemical-based polymeric materials and the one or more carbohydrate-based polymeric materials to produce a mixture of materials;   heating the mixture of materials at a temperature included in a range of about 120° C. to about 180° C.; and   producing a film using the mixture of materials, the film having a dart drop impact test value from about 250 g to about 350 g.   
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein producing the film using the mixture of materials includes:
 extruding the mixture of materials to produce an extruded object; and   injecting a gas into the extruded object.   
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the one or more carbohydrate-based polymeric materials include a first starch and a second starch; and   the film has a dart drop impact test value that is greater than: (i) a first dart drop impact test value of a first article including the one or more petrochemical-based polymeric materials and a first carbohydrate-based polymeric material including a single starch comprised of the first starch, and (ii) a second dart drop impact test value of a second article including the one or more petrochemical-based polymeric materials and a second carbohydrate-based polymeric material including a single starch comprised of the second starch.   
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the mixture of materials further comprises one or more compatibilizers; and   the mixture of materials includes:
 from about 10% by weight to about 40% by weight of the one or more carbohydrate-based polymeric materials, 
 from about 60% by weight to about 89% by weight of the one or more petrochemical-based polymeric materials; and 
 from about 1% by weight to about 9% by weight of the one or more compatibilizers. 
   
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the article includes a film having a thickness from about 0.02 mm to about 0.05 mm.