Supertoughened Poly(lactic acid)/Polyurethane Blend Material by in Situ Reactive Interfacial Compatibilization via Dynamic Vulcanization

Abstract

Poly­(lactic acid) (PLA) is well-known as a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that can be obtained from natural sources. However, the brittleness of PLA is a significant drawback for its wide application. In this study, a poly­(lactic acid) (PLA)/polyurethane elastomer prepolymer (PUEP) dynamically vulcanized system was introduced and studied in detail. The torque, FTIR spectrum, and gel content demonstrated that PUEP was vulcanized and that the isocyanate (−NCO) group in PUEP was successfully reacted with the −OH groups at both sides of the PLA. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that a relatively uniform phase morphology and good interfacial compatibilization were achieved in the dynamically vulcanized blends. The interfacial reaction and compatibilization between the component polymers resulted in the formation of supertoughened PLA/PUEP blended materials.

Perspective on Polylactic Acid (PLA) based Sustainable Materials for Durable Applications: Focus on Toughness and Heat Resistance

“…47 The −NCO groups reacted with hydroxyl, carboxyl end groups of PLA to form urethane linkages in addition to vulcanization reaction of the PUEP. These reaction products bridged the PLA phase with vulcanized rubber phase of PUEP.…”

High‐performance bio‐based poly(lactic acid)/natural rubber/epoxidized natural rubber blends: effect of epoxidized natural rubber on microstructure, toughness and static and dynamic mechanical properties

“…A great number of polymers such as thermoplastic polyurethane, poly(ethylene glycidyl methacrylate), polyamide elastomer, ethylene/ n ‐butyl acrylate/glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer, poly[(butylene adipate)‐ co ‐terephthalate], poly( ϵ ‐caprolactone) and epoxidized poly(styrene–butadiene–styrene) have been used for blending with PLA . Among polymers, elastomers are usually used more than others for the toughening of PLA .…”

Improvements in mechanical strength and thermal stability of injection and compression molded components based on Poly Lactic Acids

“…[1] In this way, intervening on the structure and morphology of the resulting blends (formation of dispersed phases structures [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] or interconnected and co-continuous structures [9][10][11][12] ); it is possible to obtain materials boasting higher mechanical strength and ductility. On the other hand, PLA shows a molten phase that is not thermally resistant during conventional | 2159 AVERSA Et Al.…”