Preparation and characterization of biodegradable blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)
Abstract Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) was blended with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) by extrusion at different weight ratios (PHBH/PBAT: 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100). Films were then prepared from the blends and characterized in terms of their morphological, rheological, mechanical and thermal properties. The morphological and rheological results indicated that PHBH/PBAT blends are immiscible but exhibit possible molecular interaction. The crystallization temperature of PHBH in the blends decreased, indicating that the addition of PBAT inhibited the crystallization of PHBH. Blending PBAT with PHBH improved the processability compared with that of pure polymers. The mechanical properties, including tensile strength, elongation at break and tear strength, increased with increasing PBAT content. The PHBH/PBAT 20:80 blend exhibited significantly improved mechanical properties, which was due to the reinforcing and toughening effect of the finely dispersed PHBH phase.