Biodegradation and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene succinate) Blends

Abstract

Polymer blends were fabricated with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with better mechanical properties and poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) with better biodegradable properties to clarify the effect of the blending ratio on the biodegradable and mechanical properties of the blends. The specimens were heat treated to improve the reduction in stiffness due to blending. Hydrolysis and soil burial tests up to 16 weeks were conducted to investigate the biodegradation properties. Young's modulus increased with increasing contents of PLA, whereas tensile strength is lowest in the PLA/PBSU (50/50) polymer blend before biodegradation because of the immiscibility of PLA and PBSU. Young's modulus kept constant up 16 weeks both in the hydrolysis and the soil burial tests. On the other hand, tensile strength decreased remarkably in the hydrolysis tests. The observation results of the specimen surface and the fracture surface indicate that the surface and bulk degradation occur in hydrolysis and soil burial tests, respectively

Valorization of waste jute fibers in developing low-density polyethylene /poly lactic acid bio-based composites

“…These results are in agreement with literature. 1,12,16,20 On the other hand, the stress at break for the composition 50/50 is equal to 15 MPa which is equivalent to 25% of the sum of the strength at break of pure LDPE and PLA, so the polymer blend has lower strength than pure PLA. In ideal or highly compatible polymer blends, the blends are expected to have higher strengths.…”

“…Polymer blends are expected to produce materials with better properties compared to similar materials made from the respective pure polymer. 13 In recent years, interest has grown in blending PLA with other polymers such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), 14,15 starch, 1 poly(vinyl pyrolidone) (PVP), chitosane, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB), 14 poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), 16 rice starch (RS), 7 Arabic gum (AG), 5 LDPE, 17 poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), 13,14 polypropylene (PP), 12,13 poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), 18 poly(butylene succinate adipate) (PBSA), 4,13,19 and poly(butylenes adipate- co -terephthalate) (PBAT). 3 Most of these polymers that are blended with PLA are said to be partially immiscible.…”

Impact Modification of Polylactide with a Biodegradable Ethylene/Acrylate Copolymer

“…Various factors contribute to the success of PLA as alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics, including physical properties, favorable compostable and degradation characteristics, as well as its ability to maintain carbon dioxide balance after its decomposition. [3][4][5] Currently, annual crops such as corn and sugar beets predominate as feedstock in the commercial production of PLA. The presence of two stereogenic centers in the lactide monomer allows for the formation of both amorphous and semicrystalline forms of PLA.…”

“…The toughening of PLA includes blending with other polymers, [5][6][7][9][10][11][12] an exceptional method that is industrially relevant. [13] Blending of PLA with rubbery polymers, as previously mentioned, has predominantly emphasized biomedical applications, resulting in the use of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers such as poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(e-caprolactone), poly(ethylene glycol), polyhydroxyalkanoate, and poly(butylene succinate) as secondphase polymers.…”