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The effects of the compatibilizer polyethylene grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (PE-g-GMA) on the properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (virgin and reprocessed)/corn starch blends were studied. LDPE (virgin and reprocessed)/corn starch blends containing 30, 40 and 50 wt% starch, with or without compatibilizer, were prepared by extrusion and characterized by the melt flow index (MFI), tensile test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMTA) and light microscopy. The addition of starch to LDPE reduced the MFI values, the tensile strength and the elongation at break, whereas the modulus increased. The decreases in the MFI and tensile properties were most evident when 40 and 50 wt% starch were added. Blends containing 3 wt% PE-g-GMA had higher tensile strength values and lower MFI values than blends without compatibilizer. Light microscopy showed that increasing the starch content resulted in a continuous phase of starch. Figure 12. Light micrographs for virgin LDPE/starch blends: (a) 70/30; (b) 60/40; (c) 50/50 (30Â). LDPE/corn starch blends 317

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ABSTRACT:The thermal and mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), poly(-caprolactone) (PCL), and their blends were evaluated. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that increasing the PCL content of the blend did not change the LDPE melting temperature, but reduced the crystallinity by up to 16.8%. This behavior was related to interactions between the PCL chains and the crystalline phase of LDPE. Tensile strength and elongation at break values for the blends were lower than those for the pure polymers, which suggested an incompatibility between the polymers. The values for Young's modulus under tensile increased when PCL was added to LDPE. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3909 -3914, 2004