Premium
Compatibilizing effect of starch‐ grafted ‐poly( L ‐lactide) on the poly(ε‐caprolactone)/starch composites
Author(s) -
Chen Li,
Zhang Zhe,
Zhuang Xiuli,
Chen Xuesi,
Jing Xiabin
Publication year - 2010
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.31269
Subject(s) - starch , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , copolymer , composite material , caprolactone , composite number , polymer blend , dynamic mechanical analysis , young's modulus , modulus , elongation , polymer , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry
The poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)/starch blends were prepared with a coextruder by using the starch grafted PLLA copolymer (St‐ g ‐PLLA) as compatibilizers. The thermal, mechanical, thermo‐mechanical, and morphological characterizations were performed to show the better performance of these blends compared with the virgin PCL/starch blend without the compatibilizer. Interfacial adhesion between PCL matrix and starch dispersion phases dominated by the compatibilizing effects of the St‐ g ‐PLLA copolymers was significantly improved. Mechanical and other physical properties were correlated with the compatibilizing effect of the St‐ g ‐PLLA copolymer. With the addition of starch acted as rigid filler, the Young's modulus of the PCL/starch blends with or without compatibilizer all increased, and the strength and elongation were decreased compared with pure PCL. Whereas when St‐ g ‐PLLA added into the blend, starch and PCL, the properties of the blends were improved markedly. The 50/50 composite of PCL/starch compatibilized by 10% St‐ g ‐PLLA gave a tensile strength of 16.6 MPa and Young's modulus of 996 MPa, respectively, vs. 8.0 MPa and 597 MPa, respectively, for the simple 50/50 blend of PCL/starch. At the same time, the storage modulus of compatibilized blends improved to 2940 MPa. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010