The present paper focuses on the effects of blending poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with thermoplastic starch (TPS) on the final biodegradation rate of PCL/TPS blends, emphasizing the type of environment in which biodegradation takes place. The blends were prepared by melt-mixing the components before a two-step processing procedure, which strongly affects the degree of plasticization and therefore the final material morphology, as was detailed in the previous work, was used for the thermoplastic starch. The concentration row of pure PCL over PCL/TPS blends to pure TPS was analyzed for biodegradation in two different environments (compost and soil), as well as from a morphological, thermomechanical, rheological, and mechanical point of view. The morphology of all the samples was studied before and after biodegradation. The biodegradation rate of the materials was expressed as the percentage of carbon mineralization, and significant changes, especially after exposure in soil, were recorded. The crystallinity of the measured samples indicated that the addition of thermoplastic starch has a negligible effect on PCL-crystallization. The blend with 70% of TPS and a co-continuous morphology demonstrated very fast biodegradation, with the initial rate almost identical to pure TPS in both environments while the 30% TPS blend exhibited particle morphology of the starch phase in the PCL matrix, which probably resulted in a dominant effect of the matrix on the biodegradation course. Moreover, some molecular interaction between PCL and TPS, as well as differences in flow and mechanical behavior of the blends, was determined.

本文着重于将聚（ε-己内酯）（PCL）与热塑性淀粉（TPS）共混对PCL / TPS共混物最终生物降解率的影响，强调了发生生物降解的环境类型。共混物是通过在两步加工程序之前熔融混合各组分而制备的，这会严重影响塑化程度，因此，如先前工作中所述，最终的材料形态被用于热塑性淀粉。分析了PCL / TPS混合物中纯PCL到纯TPS的浓度行，并从形态，热力学，流变学和机械的角度分析了两种不同环境（堆肥和土壤）中的生物降解。在生物降解之前和之后研究所有样品的形态。材料的生物降解率表示为碳矿化的百分比，并且记录到特别是暴露于土壤后的显着变化。所测样品的结晶度表明，添加热塑性淀粉对PCL结晶的影响可忽略不计。具有70％TPS和共连续形态的共混物表现出非常快速的生物降解，在两种环境下初始速率几乎都与纯TPS相同，而30％TPS共混物则在PCL基质中表现出淀粉相的颗粒形态。导致基质对生物降解过程的显著作用。此外，确定了PCL和TPS之间的某些分子相互作用，以及共混物的流动性和机械性能差异。