Aiming the development of high-performance biodegradable polymer materials, the properties and the processing behavior of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), and their blends with poly(ε-caprolactone), PCL, have been investigated. The P(3HB) sample, obtained from sugarcane, had a molecular weight of 3.0 x 10 5 g.mol, a crystallinity degree of 60%, a glass transition temperature (T g ), at -0.8 °C, and a melting temperature at 171 °C. The molecular weight of PCL was 0.8 x 10 5 g.mol -1. Specimens of 70/30 wt. (%) P(3HB)/PCL blends obtained by injection molding showed tensile strength of 21.9 (± 0.4) MPa, modulus of 2.2 (± 0.3) GPa, and a relatively high elongation at break, 87 (± 20)%. DSC analyses of this blend showed two Tg´s, at -10.6 °C for the P(3HB) matrix, and at -62.9 °C for the PCL domains. The significant decrease on the T g of P(3HB) evidences a partial miscibility of PCL in P(3HB). According to the Fox equation, the new T g corresponds to a 92/8 wt. (%) P(3HB)/ PCL composition.

Summary: Aiming the development of high toughness polymer materials, blends of poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) and poly(butadiene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (NBR) rubbers, with contents of acrylonitrile (AN) varying from 21 to 45%, were prepared by casting, coprecipitation and monoscrew extrusion followed by injection molding. SAN/NBR blends, prepared in the compositions (w/w) 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50, were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Izod impact tests. DSC analyses showed that blends with 33% AN NBR prepared by casting, and with 39% AN NBR prepared by coprecipitation, are partially miscible at 60/40, 70/30 and 80/20 (SAN/NBR) compositions and immiscible for 50/50 compositions. On the other hand, 90/10 SAN/NBR systems were totally miscible. The blends with 45% AN NBR prepared by coprecipitation showed partial miscibility to 50/50, 60/40, 70/30 and 90/10 compositions and total miscibility to 80/20 composition. The NBR addition results in a significant increase in the impact resistance, strongly dependent on the blend composition and the NBR AN content. The best result of impact resistance — 75.2 ± 8.6 (kJ · m−2) — was obtained for SAN/NBR 50/50, using 45% AN NBR. This value is 15.7 times bigger than that for pure SAN ‐4.8 ± 0.7 (kJ · m−2).