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Simultaneously reinforce and toughen polypropylene by in‐situ introducing polylactic acid microfibrils
Author(s) -
Su Juanjuan,
Meng Yang,
Zhu Fan,
Han Jian,
Wang Ke,
Fu Qiang
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.4258
Subject(s) - materials science , polylactic acid , polypropylene , composite material , tacticity , ultimate tensile strength , polymer , biodegradable polymer , polymer blend , izod impact strength test , lactic acid , toughness , copolymer , polymerization , genetics , biology , bacteria
A petroleum‐based polymer, isotactic polypropylene (iPP), and a biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid) (PLA), were compounded and molded into parts through the micro‐injection technique. A systematic structural investigation indicated that the microfibrillation of PLA minor phase depended on the operation parameter of inter‐mixer, ie, rotor speed. The higher rotor speed, the lower viscosity ratio of the PLA/iPP pair was favorable for microfibrillation occurred during micro‐injection process. The PLA microfibrils with high aspect ratio was successfully introduced into iPP matrix, and the tensile strength and strain at break of iPP/PLA blends were simultaneously improved. This study suggests a promising method for designing special microfibrillar morphology in polymer blend by using conventional melt processing techniques.