Structure and improved properties of PPC/PBAT blends via controlling phase morphology based on melt viscosity

Abstract

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC)/poly(butylenes adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) blends with various composition ratios were prepared via melt mixing using a twin‐screw extruder. The effect of melt viscosities of polymers on mechanical behavior, interfacial interaction, thermal properties, rheological responses, and phase morphology was investigated. Results showed that the phase morphology and properties of PPC/PBAT blends were affected by the composition of the blends and the melt viscosities of the two polymers. Results of tensile tests, FTIR, and dynamic rheological measurement of PBAT‐rich blends exhibited a better mechanical properties, intermolecular interactions, and compatibility when compared with PPC‐rich blends due to the differences of their melt viscosities. Incorporating of PBAT effectively improved the Tg of PPC and the thermal stability of the blends. The Tc of PPC/PBAT blends markedly increased from 37.5 to 66.8 °C with addition of only 10 wt% PPC, indicating an enhanced crystallization ability of PBAT. The improvement of Tc was helpful for blown film extrusion. SEM microphotographs showed that the size of the dispersed phase particles is much smaller and the distribution is more uniform for PBAT‐rich blends, compared with that in PPC‐rich blends. The processing stability of blown film extrusion was improved by blending PPC with PBAT. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48924.

Effect of chain extrender on the compatibility, mechanical and gas barrier properties of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)/poly(propylene carbonate) bio‐composites

“…This distinct phase separation causes greater areas of weakness within the blends, thereby reducing the strength. 20,45 As shown in Figure 8 (d) and Figure 8(f), PPC and PBAT are respectively used as dispersion phase with the same content in the matrix, resulting in a variety of spherical particles sizes and an inhomogeneous dispersion phenomenon. However, the much smaller sized spherical particles and much more uniform distribution can be observed while PPC being used as the dispersion phase, which is probably due to the difference in melt viscosities between PBAT and PPC.…”

“…9 Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), a biodegradable aliphatic polycarbonate from carbon dioxide and propylene epoxide, has meaningful chemical and physical properties such as compatibility, impact resistance, and higher gas barrier properties. [19][20][21] Unfortunately, PPC has a glass transition temperature close to the ambient temperature, resulting in unstable mechanical properties at different ambient temperatures. [22][23][24][25] Such a phenomenon makes it virtually impossible to be used alone.…”

High Strength and Barrier Properties of Biodegradable PPC/PBSA Blends Prepared by Reaction Compatibilization for Promising Application in Packaging

“…Polymers with strong interactions have a large G″, and the increase in G" reflects the improvement of compatibility. [17,36] After adding the compatibilizer AX8900, the G′ and G″ of the blends have been significantly improved. G′ is increased due to the increase in the degree of entanglement and the length of the molecular chains, and the strong interfacial interaction increases the interfacial friction to increase G".…”

“…Blending is a simple and effective method to improve the properties of polymers. Introducing other high-strength polymer phases or nano-fillers into the PPC matrix, such as PLA, [11,12] PBS, [13,14] PHB, [15,16] PBAT, [17,18] graphene oxide, [19,20] nanocrystalline cellulose and clay, [21][22][23] are common methods to effectively improve the properties of PPC. The high-strength dispersed phase can withstand stress and resist the deformation of the composites under the external force to improve the strength of PPC.…”

Miscibility, crystallization and mechanical properties of poly[(3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(4‐hydroxyvalerate)]/poly(propylene carbonate)/poly(vinyl acetate) ternary blends

“…The most extensively studied and produced P34HB binary blends are P34HB/polylactide (PLA), 18,19 P34HB/poly(ethylene glycol), 20 P34HB/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), 21 P34HB/PHB, 22 P34HB/poly[(3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(3-hydroxyvalerate)] (PHBV), 23,24 etc. Binary blends of PPC, such as PPC/PLA, 25,26 PPC/PHBV, 27 PPC/poly[(butylene adipate)-coterephthalate], 28 PPC/PHB, 29 PPC/PBS 30 and PPC/poly(butylene carbonate), 31 have been investigated intensively in industry and academia. However, unfortunately, there have been few investigations concerning the blends of biodegradable P34HB and sustainable PPC.…”