Oil-based and bio-derived thermoplastic polymer blends and composites

The importance assumed by polymer materials in our world is evident, and is more ancient than we can imagine. Polymers like wood, silk, wool, cotton are among the first materials known by the men, though their deep nature has been known only in the 20th century. Important discoveries have been done thanks to observation of nature, trying to learn from its structures and organizations, as a consequence many synthetic polymers often hydrophobic have been produced, revolutionizing our routine. Great importance is related to thermoplastic polymers, thanks to their mechanical properties, production processes, cheapness and versatile applications. Moreover, natural polymers are mainly thermoplastic ones after plasticization process, with properties rather different from fuel-based such as their hydrophilicity. Because of that, this chapter will focus on thermoplastic polymer both oil-based and bio-derived. Environmental impact is one of the biggest problems related to synthetic polymers: end-of –life of fuel-based polymers can be a problem, especially when they are dispersed in seas or on earth. Although many progresses have been done, there are still problems related to the dispersion of non biodegradable polymer wastes. The increasing consumption of polymer materials, and the increasing importance of environmental protection, directed researches towards new materials classes, such as bio-derived polymers. Many bio-derived polymers, are biodegradable, helping reducing environmental impacts caused by fuel-based polymers. In order to obtain polymers with new properties, and to face the problem of solid polymer wastes, thermoplastic blends have been developed. During last decades, many researches have also studied composites with natural fillers. These works allowed obtaining composites with reduced environmental impact, using renewable sources as fillers, and renewable sources or not as matrices. The first part of this chapter will focus on the main feature of oil-based and bio-derived thermoplastic polymers and their blends, while the second part covers composites with natural fillers.