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Toughness improvement of poly(lactic acid) with poly(vinyl propionate)‐grafted natural rubber
Author(s) -
Jaratrotkamjorn Ruedee,
Tanrattanakul Varaporn
Publication year - 2021
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.50980
Subject(s) - materials science , grafting , natural rubber , toughness , polymer chemistry , monomer , chemical engineering , polymer blend , propionate , compatibilization , composite material , copolymer , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Natural rubber (NR) grafted with poly(vinyl propionate) (NR‐ g ‐PVP) was prepared by emulsion polymerization. The monomer content was set at 5, 10, 20, and 30 wt%. The chemical structure of NR‐ g ‐PVP was confirmed by 1 H‐NMR and FTIR techniques. The grafting parameters of purified NR‐ g ‐PVP were evaluated. Binary (PLA/NR and PLA/NR‐ g ‐PVP) and ternary (PLA/NR/NR‐ g ‐PVP) blends were prepared by melt blending using a twin‐screw extruder. The percentage of grafted PVP on NR affected morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the blends. In binary blends, 5% grafting showed the greatest improvement of toughness and ductility with PLA, whereas there was no improvement in the mechanical properties of PLA/NR blend from using NR‐ g ‐PVP as a compatibilizer. The mechanical properties of the blends are related to mutual compatibility of the components. Good interfacial adhesion and proper particle size of NR were the key factors contributing to mechanical properties.