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The compatible and mechanical properties of biodegradable poly(Lactic Acid)/ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer blends

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Abstract

The Fourier transform infrared results suggest that the carboxylic acid groups of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) molecules react with the epoxy groups of molecules of Ethylene Glycidyl Methacrylate Copolymer (EGMC) during the reactive extrusion processes of PLAxEGMCy specimens. The tensile and tear strength values of PLAxEGMCy blown-film specimens in machine and transverse directions improve significantly, and reach their maximal values as their EGMC contents approach an optimum value of 6 wt.%. The melt shear viscosity values of PLAxEGMCy resins, measured at varying shear rates, are significantly higher than those of the PLA resin, and increase consistently with their EGMC contents. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of PLA and PLAxEGMCy specimens reveal that the percentage crystallinity, peak melting temperature, and onset re-crystallization temperature values of PLAxEGMCy specimens reduce gradually as their EGMC contents increase. In contrast, the glass transition temperatures of PLAxEGMCy specimens increase gradually in conjunction with their EGMC contents. Demarcated porous morphology with several connected fungi-decomposed cavities was found on the surfaces of the PLAxEGMCy specimens after being buried for specific amounts of time, in which the sizes of the fungi-decomposed cavities found on the surfaces of buried PLAxEGMCy specimens reduce significantly as their EGMC contents increase. Further DMA and morphological analysis of PLAxEGMCy specimens reveal that the EGMC molecules are compatible with PLA molecules at EGMC contents equal to or less than 2 wt.% because no phase-separated EGMC droplets and tan δ transitions were found on fracture surfaces and tan δ curves of PLAxEGMCy specimens, respectively. The possible reasons for these remarkable properties of the PLA/EGMC specimens are proposed in this study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs (95-EC-17-A-11-S1-057, 96-EC-17-A-11-S1-057, 97-EC-17-A-11-S1-057 and 99-EC-17-A-11-S1-155) and 99-2622-E-011-003-CC3 for supporting this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department and Graduate School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Jen-taut Yeh, Chi-hui Tsou, Yu-Ching Lai & Chuen-Kai Wang

  2. Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, China

    Jen-taut Yeh, Ya-ming Li & Han-wen Xiao

  3. Key Laboratory of Green Processing and Functional Textiles of New Textile Materials, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, Wuhan, China

    Jen-taut Yeh

  4. School of Printing and Packaging, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Jen-taut Yeh

  5. Department of Materials Engineering, Kun Shan University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Jen-taut Yeh

  6. Department of Biochemical Engineering, Kao Yuan University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Chin-san Wu

  7. Department of Environmental Engineering, Vanung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Wan-lan Chai

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  1. Jen-taut Yeh
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  2. Chi-hui Tsou
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Correspondence to Jen-taut Yeh.

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Yeh, Jt., Tsou, Ch., Li, Ym. et al. The compatible and mechanical properties of biodegradable poly(Lactic Acid)/ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer blends. J Polym Res 19, 9766 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-011-9766-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-011-9766-4

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