Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of Thermoplastic Starch/Poly(lactic acid/Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Blends

2014 ◽  
Vol 970 ◽  
pp. 312-316
Author(s):  
Sujaree Tachaphiboonsap ◽  
Kasama Jarukumjorn

Thermoplastic starch (TPS)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) blend and thermoplastic starch (TPS)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blend were prepared by melt blending method. PLA grafted with maleic anhydride (PLA-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer to improve the compatibility of the blends. As TPS was incorporated into PLA, elongation at break was increased while tensile strength, tensile modulus, and impact strength were decreased. Tensile properties and impact properties of TPS/PLA blend were improved with adding PLA-g-MA indicating the enhancement of interfacial adhesion between PLA and TPS. With increasing PBAT content, elongation at break and impact strength of TPS/PLA blends were improved. The addition of TPS decreased glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization temperature (Tc), and melting temperature (Tm) of PLA. Tgand Tcof TPS/PLA blend were decreased by incorporating PLA-g-MA. However, the presence of PBAT reduced Tcof TPS/PLA blend. Thermal properties of TPS/PLA/PBAT blends did not change with increasing PBAT content. SEM micrographs revealed that the compatibilized TPS/PLA blends exhibited finer morphology when compared to the uncompatibilized TPS/PLA blend.

2014 ◽  
Vol 970 ◽  
pp. 74-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiraporn Nomai ◽  
Kasama Jarukumjorn

Sawdust/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) composites toughened with poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were prepared using a melt blending process. Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the composites were investigated. With the addition of PBAT into the sawdust/PLA composite, elongation at break and impact strength increased whereas tensile strength and tensile modulus decreased. In addition, thermal stability of the PLA composite improved with the presence of PBAT. Maleic anhydride grafted poly (lactic acid) (PLA-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer to improve the compatibility of sawdust/PLA/PBAT composites. The compatibilized composites showed higher mechanical properties and thermal decomposition temperatures than that of the uncompatibilized composite due to improved interfacial adhesion between constituents of the composites. The optimum content of PLA-g-MA for sawdust/PLA/PBAT composites was 5 wt%. SEM micrographs revealed some features of ductile fracture in the composites toughened with PBAT and confirmed that PLA-g-MA improved the compatibility of the composites.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Kit Chee ◽  
Nor Azowa Ibrahim ◽  
Norhazlin Zainuddin ◽  
Mohd Faizal Abd Rahman ◽  
Buong Woei Chieng

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blends were prepared via melt blending technique. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was added as reactive compatibilizer to improve the interfacial adhesion between immiscible phases of PLA and PCL matrices. Tensile test revealed that optimum in elongation at break of approximately 327% achieved when GMA loading was up to 3wt%. Slight drop in tensile strength and tensile modulus at optimum ratio suggested that the blends were tuned to be deformable. Flexural studies showed slight drop in flexural strength and modulus when GMA wt% increases as a result of improved flexibility by finer dispersion of PCL in PLA matrix. Besides, incorporation of GMA in the blends remarkably improved the impact strength. Highest impact strength was achieved (160% compared to pure PLA/PCL blend) when GMA loading was up to 3 wt%. SEM analysis revealed improved interfacial adhesion between PLA/PCL blends in the presence of GMA. Finer dispersion and smooth surface of the specimens were noted as GMA loading increases, indicating that addition of GMA eventually improved the interfacial compatibility of the nonmiscible blend.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1024 ◽  
pp. 136-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buong Woei Chieng ◽  
Ibrahim Nor Azowa ◽  
Wan Yunus Wan Md Zin ◽  
Mohd Zobir Hussein

Graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) were investigated as a novel nanoreinforcement filler in poly (lactic acid)(PLA)/poly (ethylene glycol)(PEG) blends by melt blending method. The prepared nanocomposites exhibited a significant improvement in tensile properties at a low xGnP loading. The tensile properties demonstrated the addition of 0.3wt% of xGnP led to an increase of up to 32.7%, 69.5% and 21.9% in tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break of the nanocomposites respectively, compared to PLA/PEG blend. The nanocomposites also shows enhanced thermal stability compared with PLA/PEG blend in thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of PLA/PEG/0.3wt% xGnP displays good uniformity and more homogenous morphology.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buong Woei Chieng ◽  
Nor Azowa Ibrahim ◽  
Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus ◽  
Mohd Zobir Hussein

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based nanocomposites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) that contains epoxidized palm oil (EPO) as plasticizer were prepared by melt blending method. PLA was first plasticized by EPO to improve its flexibility and thereby overcome its problem of brittleness. Then, xGnP was incoporated into plasticized PLA to enhance its mechanical properties. Plasticized and nanofilled PLA nanocomposites (PLA/EPO/xGnP) showed improvement in the elongation at break by 3322% and 61% compared to pristine PLA and PLA/EPO, respectively. The use of EPO and xGnP increases the mobility of the polymeric chains, thereby improving the flexibility and plastic deformation of PLA. The nanocomposites also resulted in an increase of up to 26.5% in the tensile strength compared with PLA/EPO blend. XRD pattern showed the presence of peak around 26.5° in PLA/EPO/xGnP nanocomposites which corresponds to characteristic peak of graphene nanoplatelets. Plasticized PLA reinforced with xGnP showed that increasing the xGnP content triggers a substantial increase in thermal stability. Crystallinity of the nanocomposites as well as cold crystallization and melting temperature did not show any significant changes upon addition of xGnP. However, there was a significant decrease of glass transition temperature up to 0.3wt% of xGnP incorporation. The TEM micrograph of PLA/EPO/xGnP shows that the xGnP was uniformly dispersed in the PLA matrix and no obvious aggregation was observed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 410 ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpaporn Teamsinsungvon ◽  
Yupaporn Ruksakulpiwat ◽  
Kasama Jarukumjorn

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blend and its composite were prepared by melt blending method. Maleic anhydride grafted PLA (PLA-g-MA) prepared in-house was used as a compatibilizer to enhance the interfacial adhesion between PLA and PBAT and also to improve the dispersion of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in polymer matrices. Increasing PBAT content (10-30 wt%) resulted in the improvement of elongation at break and impact strength of PLA. Tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and impact strength of PLA/PBAT blend improved with the presence of PLA-g-MA due to enhanced interfacial adhesion between PLA and PBAT. As CaCO3 (5 wt%) was incorporated into the compatibilized blend, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and impact strength insignificantly changed while elongation at break decreased.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12157
Author(s):  
Eduardo da Silva Barbosa Ferreira ◽  
Carlos Bruno Barreto Luna ◽  
Danilo Diniz Siqueira ◽  
Edson Antonio dos Santos Filho ◽  
Edcleide Maria Araújo ◽  
...  

Motivated by environment preservation, the increased use of eco-friendly materials such as biodegradable polymers and biopolymers has raised the interest of researchers and the polymer industry. In this approach, this work aimed to produce bioblends using poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and high-density biopolyethylene (BioPE); due to the low compatibility between these polymers, this work evaluated the additional influence of the compatibilizing agents: poly (ethylene octene) and ethylene elastomer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA and EE-g-GMA, respectively), polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA), polyethylene grafted with acrylic acid (PE-g-AA) and the block copolymer styrene (ethylene-butylene)-styrene grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) to the thermal, mechanical, thermomechanical, wettability and morphological properties of PLA/BioPE. Upon the compatibilizing agents’ addition, there was an increase in the degree of crystallinity observed by DSC (2.3–7.6% related to PLA), in the thermal stability as verified by TG (6–15 °C for TD10%, 6–11 °C TD50% and 112–121 °C for TD99.9% compared to PLA) and in the mechanical properties such as elongation at break (with more expressive values for the addition of POE-g-GMA and SEBS-g-MA, 9 and 10%, respectively), tensile strength (6–19% increase compared to PLA/BioPE bioblend) and a significant increase in impact strength, with evidence of plastic deformation as observed through SEM, promoted by the PLA/ BioPE phases improvement. Based on the gathered data, the added compatibilizers provided higher performing PLA/BioPE. The POE-g-GMA compatibilizer was considered to provide the best properties in relation to the PLA/BioPE bioblend, as well as the PLA matrix, mainly in relation to impact strength, with an increase of approximately 133 and 100% in relation to PLA and PLA/BioPE bioblend, respectively. Therefore, new ecological materials can be manufactured, aiming at benefits for the environment and society, contributing to sustainable development and stimulating the consumption of eco-products.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1413
Author(s):  
Qingguo Wang ◽  
Yongxuan Li ◽  
Xue Zhou ◽  
Tongyao Wang ◽  
Liyan Qiu ◽  
...  

Using novel biodegradable elastomer particles (BEP) prepared by the technologies of melt polycondensation, emulsification, and irradiation vulcanization, we successfully prepared advanced poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/BEP composites with higher toughness, higher biodegradability, and better cytocompatibility than neat PLA by means of the melt blending technology. The experimental results revealed that the elongation at break of the PLA/BEP composites containing 8 parts per hundred rubber (phr) by weight BEP increased dramatically from 2.9% of neat PLA to 67.1%, and the notched impact strength increased from 3.01 to 7.24 kJ/m2. Meanwhile, the biodegradation rate of the PLA/BEP composites increased dramatically in both soil environment and lipase solution, and the crystallization rate and crystallinity of the PLA/BEP composites increased significantly compared to those of neat PLA. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay also showed that the viability of L929 cells in the presence of extracts of PLA/BEP composites was more than 75%, indicating that the PLA/BEP composites were not cytotoxic and had better cytocompatibility than neat PLA. Research on advanced PLA/BEP composites opens up new potential avenues for preparing advanced PLA products, especially for advanced biomedical materials.


2016 ◽  
Vol 846 ◽  
pp. 429-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buong Woei Chieng ◽  
Ibrahim Nor Azowa ◽  
Yoon Yee Then ◽  
Yuet Ying Loo

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based nanocomposites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) and containing epoxidized palm oil (EPO) as plasticizer were prepared by melt blending method. PLA was first plasticized by EPO to improve its flexibility and thereby overcome its problem of brittleness. Then, xGnP was incoporated into plasticized PLA to enhance its mechanical properteis. Plasticized and naonofilled PLA nanocomposites (PLA/EPO/xGnP) showed improvement in the elongation at break by 61% compared with plasticized PLA (PLA/EPO). The use of EPO and xGnP increases the mobility of the polymeric chains, thereby improving the flexibility and plastic deformation of PLA. The nanocomposites also resulted in an increase of up to 26.5% in the tensile strength compared with PLA/EPO blend. PLA/EPO reinforced with xGnP shows that increasing the xGnP content triggers a substantial increase in thermal stability. The TEM image of PLA/EPO/xGnP shows that the xGnP was uniformly dispersed in the PLA matrix and no obvious aggregation is observed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed BOUTI ◽  
Ratiba IRINISLIMANE ◽  
Naima Belhaneche-Bensemra

Abstract This study aims to improve the ductility of poly (lactic acid) (PLA). For that purpose, bioblends based on PLA and epoxidized vegetable oils (EVO) as bioplasticizers were prepared. Commercial sunflower oil was epoxidized and epoxidized sunflower oil (ESO) was used as plasticizer for PLA. To investigate ESO potential as plasticizer for PLA, its plasticizing effect was compared with commercial epoxidized soya bean oil (ESBO). The plasticizers (ESO or ESBO) were respectively compounded with PLA at 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%. Mechanical (tensile and Shore D hardness), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)) and morphological properties (optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) were characterized. The results showed that the addition of ESO or ESBO to PLA decreased tensile strength and tensile modulus compared to neat PLA but increased elongation at break for which an optimum (9.02%, 15.55% and 33.67% for ESBO, ESO5.5% and ESO6.5% respectively) was reached at a content of 20 wt% of plasticizer. The structures of the obtained plasticized PLA were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. DSC showed a clear decrease in the glass transition temperature of PLA and SEM analysis proved successful modification on the PLA brittle morphology with addition of EVO. On the other hand, TGA results revealed significant increase in the thermal stability. Based on the results of this study, ESO exhibited promising results regarding


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