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Radiation‐induced crosslinking and mechanical properties of blends of poly(lactic acid) and poly(butylene terephthalate‐ co ‐adipate)
Author(s) -
Sarath Kumara P. H.,
Nagasawa Naotsugu,
Yagi Toshiaki,
Tamada Masao
Publication year - 2008
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.28402
Subject(s) - adipate , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , elongation , monomer , irradiation , polymer , polymer chemistry , lactic acid , composite material , chemical engineering , physics , genetics , biology , bacteria , nuclear physics , engineering
Blends of poly( L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly (butylene terephthalate‐ co ‐adipate) (PBTA) were prepared at ratios of 50 : 50, 60 : 40, and 80 : 20 by melt blending in a Laboplastomill. Improved mechanical properties were observed in PLLA when it was blended with PBTA, a biodegradable flexible polymer. Irradiation of these blends with an electron beam (EB) in the presence of triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC), a polyfunctional monomer, did not cause any significant improvement in the mechanical properties, although the gel fraction increased with the TAIC level and dose level. Irradiation of the blends without TAIC led to a reduction in the elongation at break ( E b ) but did not show a significant effect on the tensile strength. E b of PBTA was unaffected by EB radiation in the absence of TAIC. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008