# Research and Application of Polypropylene Carbonate Composite Materials: A Review

## TL;DR

This review discusses polypropylene carbonate, a biodegradable plastic that can help reduce plastic pollution and the greenhouse effect, and how it can be improved for better use.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of PPC's synthesis, properties, and modification strategies to enhance its industrial viability.

## Key findings

- PPC has good ductility, oxygen barrier, and biocompatibility but suffers from poor mechanical and thermal properties.
- Modification with inorganic, natural polymer, and degradable polymer materials can improve PPC's performance and reduce costs.
- PPC has potential for industrial use if its thermal degradation issues are addressed through eco-friendly modifications.

## Abstract

The greenhouse effect and plastic pollution caused by the accumulation of plastics have led to a global concern for environmental protection, as well as the development and application of biodegradable materials. Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) is a biodegradable polymer with the function of “carbon sequestration”, which has the potential to mitigate the greenhouse effect and the plastic crisis. It has the advantages of good ductility, oxygen barrier and biocompatibility. However, the mechanical and thermal properties of PPC are poor, especially the low thermal degradation temperature, which limits its industrial use. In order to overcome this problem, PPC can be modified using environmentally friendly materials, which can also reduce the cost of PPC-based products to a certain extent and enhance their competitiveness in terms of improving their mechanical and thermal properties. In this paper, we present different perspectives on the synthesis, properties, degradation, modification and post-modification applications of PPC. The modification part mainly introduces the influence of inorganic materials, natural polymer materials and degradable polymers on the performance of PPC. It is hoped that this work will serve as a reference for the early promotion of PPC.