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Toughening modification of poly(lactic acid) using modified natural rubber

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Abstract

The toughening modification of PLA was successfully performed by incorporating modified natural rubber (MNR). The MNR was obtained from chemical modification of natural rubber (NR) in a latex system through a two-step procedure; hydrogenation followed by epoxidation reaction. Different amounts of NR and MNR were mixed with PLA by a physical melt-blending procedure. As a result, blending MNR (5% by weight) with PLA could efficiently strengthen fracture resistance (18.89 kJ/m2) and stretchability (113.79%), approximately fivefold and 16-fold, respectively, compared to the neat PLA (3.58 kJ/m2 impact strength and 7.08% elongation-at-break). In comparison, impact strength (7.21 kJ/m2) and elongation-at-break (8.64%) of NR/PLA were found at the same weight ratio. The high toughening efficiency of MNR for PLA could be explained by their good compatibility of the two phases. The impact-fractured surface of the blend showed fine rubber particles and stretched-rubber fibrils in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) image. Furthermore, the optical properties in terms of light transmission of the MNR/PLA blend displayed higher transparency (74.62%) than the unmodified NR/PLA blend (34.34%). The obtained results suggest that the developed MNR will offer a potential application as a high impact modifier for PLA.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Science Achievement Scholarship of Thailand (SAST) for Wasan Tessanan. Partial support from IRPC Public Company Limited is also appreciated.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Phayathai, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Wasan Tessanan & Pranee Phinyocheep

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  1. Wasan Tessanan
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  2. Pranee Phinyocheep
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Correspondence to Pranee Phinyocheep.

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Tessanan, W., Phinyocheep, P. Toughening modification of poly(lactic acid) using modified natural rubber. Iran Polym J 31, 455–469 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-021-01000-0

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