Petrochemical based polymers used in packaging materials are causing various environmental problems. Therefore, biopolymers prepared from renewable sources have high potential to substitute the commercially available non-degradable polymer. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the biodegradable polymers that can be used to substitute in the application of petrochemicalbased polymers. Environmental friendly and biodegradable epoxidized palm oil (EPO) was used as plasticizer in this study and it was incorporated into PLA matrix through solution blending method. The mechanical properties were determined through three-point flexural test and tensile test. Tensile results revealed that the flexibility of PLA can be improved by the addition of epoxidized palm oil (EPO) as plasticizer in the polymer. PLA/EPO blend at ratio 100:10 showed significant flexibility among the other PLA/EPO blends. The thermal properties of neat PLA and PLA/EPO blends were characterized by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased by addition of plasticizer, indicated the chain mobility of PLA increased in the PLA/EPO blends system. The improved flexibility of PLA by using EPO as plasticizer showed that it has high potential to be used as environmental-friendly packaging material.Keywords: biodegradable polymer, green polymer, poly(lactic acid), environmental friendly packaging material Abstrak Barangan dari sumber yang boleh diperbaharui boleh mewujudkan satu platform untuk menggantikan polimer berasaskan petroleum yang diketahui tidak mampu terbiodegradasi. Poli(laktik asid) (PLA) adalah antara polimer yang boleh biodegradasi secara semula jadi dan dipercayai boleh menjadi pengganti bagi penggunaan polimer petrokimia. Pemplastik yang terbiodegradasi boleh digunakan untuk meningkatkan fleksibiliti PLA. PLA/EPO telah dicampurkan dengan nisbah tertentu dan sifat mekanikal dan haba bahan ini telah dikaji. Sifat mekanik polimer/pemplastik ditentukan melalui ujian lenturan mekanik dan ujian tegangan. Hasil kajian tegangan bahan menunjukkan bahawa fleksibiliti PLA boleh dipertingkatkan dengan penambahan minyak kelapa sawat terepoksi (EPO) sebagai pemplastik dalam polimer. Ia telah membuktikan bahawa kandungan 100:10 PLA/EPO adalah nisbah yang paling sesuai untuk campuran PLA/EPO. Ciri -ciri haba diperolehi dengan menggunakan Kalorimeter Pengimbasan Perbezaan (DSC). Pemplastik didapati mengurangkan suhu peralihan kaca PLA. EPO didapati meningkatkan tekanan tegangan dan pemanjangan di dalam PLA/EPO. Peningkatan fleksibiliti PLA menerusi penggunaan EPO membuktikan bahawa PLA/EPO boleh digunakan untuk pengunaan bungkusan mesra alam.Kata kunci: polimer terbiodegradasikan, polimer hijau, poli(laktik asid), bungkusan mesra alam
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