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Blending of poly(lactic acid) and starches containing varying amylose content
Author(s) -
Ke Tianyi,
Sun Susan Xiuzhi,
Seib Paul
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.12617
Subject(s) - starch , amylose , absorption of water , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , plasticizer , plastics extrusion , lactic acid , extrusion , maize starch , polymer blend , chemical engineering , composite material , food science , polymer chemistry , chemistry , polymer , copolymer , engineering , genetics , biology , bacteria
Four dry corn starches with different amylose content were blended at 185°C with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) at various starch:PLA ratios using a lab‐scale twin‐screw extruder. Starch with 30% moisture content also was blended with PLA at a 1:1 ratio. Each extrudate was ground and dried. The powder was mixed with about 7.5% plasticizer, and injection molded (175°C) into test tensile bars. These were characterized for morphology, mechanical properties, and water absorption. Starch performed as a filler in the PLA continuous matrix phase, but the PLA phase became discontinuous as starch content increased beyond 60%. Tensile strength and elongation of the blends decreased as starch content increased, but no significant difference was observed among the four starches at the same ratio of starch:PLA. The rate and extent of water absorption of starch/PLA blends increased with increasing starch. Blends made with high‐amylose starches had lower water absorption than the blends with normal and waxy corn starches. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3639–3646, 2003