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Thermal and mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid)/natural rubber blend using epoxidized natural rubber and poly(methyl methacrylate) as co-compatibilizers

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Abstract

In order to improve the toughness of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), the incorporation of natural rubber (NR), which has a high elasticity and flexibility, can be used. However, the phase incompatibility between PLA and NR can cause poor mechanical properties of the final product in the absence of a compatibilizer because of their different polarities. In this research, epoxidized NR (ENR) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were used as co-compatibilizers for linking PLA/NR blends (PLA 100: NR 15 parts by weight per hundred parts of resin (phr)). Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the effect of the ENR/PMMA co-compatibilizer contents on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the 100:15 phr PLA/NR blend. With 3 phr of ENR and 1 phr of PMMA, the elongation at break and impact strength of the 100:15 phr PLA/NR blend was significantly improved up to 1,813% and 362%, respectively. The thermal stability of the PLA/NR blend was also increased when using the co-compatibilizers. Interestingly, the PLA/NR blend containing the co-compatibilizer showed a high ultimate tensile strength after thermal aging at 100 °C for 1 h with good mechanical properties. However, the percentage of crystallinity and glass transition temperature were decreased by the added co-compatibilizer. Finally, a good compatibility between the PLA and NR matrices could be clearly observed by scanning electron microscopy in the presence of the co-compatibilizer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Petrochemistry and Polymer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Wuthiphong Dechatiwong Na Ayutthaya

  2. Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Sirilux Poompradub

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  1. Wuthiphong Dechatiwong Na Ayutthaya
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  2. Sirilux Poompradub
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Correspondence to Sirilux Poompradub.

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Ayutthaya, W.D.N., Poompradub, S. Thermal and mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid)/natural rubber blend using epoxidized natural rubber and poly(methyl methacrylate) as co-compatibilizers. Macromol. Res. 22, 686–692 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-014-2102-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-014-2102-1

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