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Enhancing the Melt Strength of Poly(Lactic Acid) via Micro-Crosslinking and Blending with Poly(Butylene Adipate-co-Butylene Terephthalate)for the Preparation of Foams

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Abstract

The melt strength of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an important factor in preparing foams and blowing films. Aiming to endow PLA with a suitable melt strength via a slight crosslink, a superficial micro-crosslinking method was introduced in which the PLA feed was mixed with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and crosslinked in a 100 °C oven for 1 h. Additionally, poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was blended with the crosslinked PLA (C-PLA) to further improve melt strength and viscosity. The blend foams were prepared using a single-screw extruder and azodicarbonamide as a foaming agent. The properties were characterized by gel fraction, melt flow rate (MFR), rheometry, DSC and SEM. The rheological results showed that the complex viscosity and storage modulus of C-PLA and C-PLA/PBAT blends increased, attributed to the micro-crosslinking and addition of PBAT and indicating an improvement in melt strength. Furthermore, the crystallization of modified PLA was also enhanced. Compared with pure PLA foams, the C-PLA/PBAT blend foams showed larger cells with more uniform shapes and homogenous distribution. This approach to improve the melt strength of polymers with micro-crosslinking and blending with PBAT represents an attractive method for preparing foams with regular cells.

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Acknowledgements

The author acknowledged the financial support of the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) programs (Nos. 31270610 and No. 51503061), the Science Research Fund of Hubei Provincial Technology Department (No. 2015BAA094), as well as the Youth Program of Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Department (No. 2015CFB322).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Materials for Light Industry, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Rong Zhang, Chang Cai, Qingting Liu & Shengfei Hu

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  1. Rong Zhang
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  2. Chang Cai
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  3. Qingting Liu
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  4. Shengfei Hu
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Correspondence to Shengfei Hu.

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Zhang, R., Cai, C., Liu, Q. et al. Enhancing the Melt Strength of Poly(Lactic Acid) via Micro-Crosslinking and Blending with Poly(Butylene Adipate-co-Butylene Terephthalate)for the Preparation of Foams. J Polym Environ 25, 1335–1341 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-016-0911-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-016-0911-3

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