Technological watch

Abstract Sustainable EHL/PHBH biocomposites were prepared by the addition of enzymatic hydrolyzed lignin (EHL) into poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) via solution casting technique. The research comprehensively evaluated the effects of EHL contents on the morphological, thermostability, barrier and anti-ultraviolet properties of EHL/PHBH biocomposites. SEM and FT-IR analysis showed that the EHL filler had good dispersibility in PHBH matrix and the good interface binding was observed in biocomposites. Compared with neat PHBH, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of biocomposites with 3?~?5 wt% EHL increased by 46.1% and 130.4%, respectively, and the maximum degradation temperature (Tmax) increased by 50 °C. More notably, a 30.2% and 52.3% reduction of the moisture and oxygen permeability, which were much higher than conventional plastics. It was also found that the biocomposites exhibited excellent UV resistance, almost completely shielding UV-A (320–400 nm) and UV-B (280–320 nm), and good antioxidant activity with 76.6% DPPH scavenging rate. The above, EHL/PHBH were demonstrated a promising biocomposites for anti-oxidation, UV-blocking, oxygen barrier and moisture-proof packaging materials.