Polylactide (PLA) is an attractive candidate for replacing petrochemical polymers because it is biodegradable. In this study, a specific PLA 2002D was melt-mixed with a new plasticizer: glycerol monostearate (GMS). The PLA/GMS blends with different ratios were analyzed by dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Although a slightly phase separation can be seen in DSC curves, the SEM micrographs of the impact fracture surfaces of PLA/GMS blends had a relatively good separation and this phenomenon was in good agreement with their higher impact strength. The result showed that the adding of GMS has enhanced the flexibility of PLA/GMS blends as compared to neat PLA. The relationship between complex viscosity and angular frequency of the PLA/GMS blends exhibits that the melt viscosity substantially lower than that of neat PLA. For example, at 10 rad/s, the melt viscosity of PLA/GMS (85/15) was reduced by about 7.2% compared to that of neat PLA. The impact strength was changed from 4.7 KJ/m 2 for neat PLA to 48.2 KJ/m 2 for 70/30 PLA/GMS blend.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.