Structure and mechanical properties of blends of poly(ε‐caprolactone) with a poly(amino ether)

Abstract

Poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(amino ether) (PAE) blends were obtained by injection molding without any previous extrusion step in an attempt to (i) contribute to the knowledge of the relation between structure and mechanical properties in these type of blends composed of a rubbery and a glassy polymer and (ii) to find out to which extent are the PCL/PAE blends compatible, and therefore whether the biodegradability of PCL can be added as a characteristic of PAE-based applications. PCL/ PAE blends are composed of a crystalline PCL phase, a pure amorphous PCL phase, and a PAE-rich phase where some PCL is present. The presence of some dissolved and probably unreacted PCL in the PAE-rich phase led to a low interfacial tension as observed by the small size of the dispersed particles and the large interfacial area. The dependence on composition of both the modulus of elasticity and the yield stress of the blends was parallel to that of the orientation level. The elongation at break showed values similar to those of PAE in PAE-rich blends, and was slightly synergistic in very rich PCL compositions; this behavior reflects a change in the nature of the matrix, from glassy to rubbery.

Improving the barrier character of poly(caprolactone): Transport properties and free volume of immiscible blends

“…Neat PCL is highly crystalline, 53%, and shows a melting temperature of 65 °C. As the content of PHAE increases, the crystallinity level decreases considerably, being this result in agreement with the data obtained by Granado et al . It is worthy to note that the crystallinity referred to PCL phase is maintained constant until 75% PHAE is added, then the crystallization of PCL is hindered.…”

“…For the blends, two glass transition temperatures are observed, which indicates that the blends are immiscible. For all the blends, the glass transition temperatures are displaced from those of the neat components, which is in agreement with the results obtained by Granado et al . In the case of the T g corresponding to PCL phase, the addition of PHAE decreases the glass transition temperature.…”

“…The previous study carried out by Granado et al . on PCL/PHAE blends shows that the blend has good compatibility and adequate mechanical properties; however, the potential application of these blends in packaging was not analyzed.…”

Mechanical and microstructural properties of polycaprolactone scaffolds with one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional orthogonally oriented porous architectures produced by selective laser sintering

“…Engelberg and Kohn [64] reported a tensile modulus of 400MPa and tensile strength of 16MPa for compression molded PCL (M n =42,500) and also noted that solvent casting of PCL was not successful possibly due to its high crystallinity. Several other groups [65–68] have also reported the tensile mechanical properties of bulk PCL processed by conventional methods, and the values they reported can be found in Table 3.…”

Morphology and properties of electrically and rheologically percolated PLA/PCL/CNT nanocomposites

“…From the point of view of potential applications, PLA presents good stiffness and strength, but is brittle and performs badly against impact . On the other hand, PCL behaves as an elastomer; it is deformable and shows high impact strength, but very poor low‐deformation properties . PLA and PCL are immiscible polymers, but, as they are both polyesters, some interfacial adhesion has been reported .…”