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Biodegradable blends of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and stereocomplex polylactide with enhanced rheological, mechanical properties and thermal resistance

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to prepare a new blend system by blending equimolar poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide acid) (PDLA) with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and to form stereocomplex polylactide (sc-PLA) during blending process. Then, sc-PLA would improve the performance of PBAT without compromising its biodegradability. Torque-time curve, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements indicated that only sc-PLA formed in PBAT matrix. The phase morphology showed that sc-PLA particles were uniformly dispersed in PBAT matrix, and the sizes were independent of their contents. The rheological properties of PBAT were significantly enhanced by addition of sc-PLA, especially after the formation of a percolation network structure. With the increase of sc-PLA content, the blends displayed increased yield strength and modulus and decreased elongation at break and tensile strength. The sc-PLA particles could reinforce PBAT matrix. Compared with pure PBAT, the heat resistance of PBAT/sc-PLA blends was improved.

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Funding

This work is supported by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology Service Network Planning (KFJ-STS-QYZD-140), a program of Cooperation of Hubei Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Innovation team project of Beijing Institute of Science and Technology (IG201703N) and “13th five-year” Science and Technology Research Program of the Education Department of Jilin Province (JJKH20190862KJ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, 130118, China

    Yi Li & Lijia Zhao

  2. Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China

    Changyu Han & Yancun Yu

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  1. Yi Li
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  2. Lijia Zhao
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  4. Yancun Yu
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Correspondence to Changyu Han.

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Li, Y., Zhao, L., Han, C. et al. Biodegradable blends of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and stereocomplex polylactide with enhanced rheological, mechanical properties and thermal resistance. Colloid Polym Sci 298, 463–475 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04636-1

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