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Miscibility, thermal behaviour, morphology and mechanical properties of binary blends of poly[( R )‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] with poly(γ‐benzyl‐ L ‐glutamate) +
Author(s) -
Deng Xianmo,
Hao Jianyuan,
Yuan Minglong,
Xiong Chengdong,
Zhao Shujie
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0126(200101)50:1<37::aid-pi504>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - miscibility , differential scanning calorimetry , materials science , crystallinity , crystallization , polymer blend , amorphous solid , scanning electron microscope , morphology (biology) , phase (matter) , chemical engineering , glass transition , polymer chemistry , composite material , polymer , copolymer , crystallography , organic chemistry , chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , genetics , biology , engineering
The miscibility, thermal behaviour, morphology and mechanical properties of poly[( R )‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) with poly(γ‐benzyl‐ L ‐glutamate) (PBLG) are investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile tests. The DSC results show that PHB and PBLG are immiscible in the melt state. Such immiscibility also exists in the amorphous state due to a clear two‐phase separated structure observed by SEM measurements. The blend samples with different thermal history, namely as original and melt samples separately, display differences in thermal behaviour such as the DSC scan profile, the crystallinity and the melting temperature of PHB. The crystallization of PHB both from the molten state and the amorphous state is retarded on addition of the second component. The SEM measurements reveal that a phase inversion occurs between the PHB/PBLG (60/40) and PHB/PBLG (40/60) blends. Except for the PHB/PBLG (40/60) blend, a microphase separated structure is observed for all blend compositions. The mechanical properties vary considerably with blend composition. Compared with pure components, the PHB/PBLG (20/80) blend shows a certain improvement in mechanical properties. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry