ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Effect of PHB on the properties of biodegradable PLA blends

Zuzana Vanovčanová, Pavol Alexy, Jozef Feranc, Roderik Plavec, Ján Bočkaj, Leona Kaliňáková, Katarína Tomanová, Dagmara Perďochová, Dávid Šariský, and Ivana Gálisová

Institute of Natural and Synthetic Polymers, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.vanovcanova@gmail.com

Abstract: Blends of biodegradable polymers polylactic acid/thermoplastic starch/polyhydroxybutyrate (PLA/TPS/PHB) were prepared using a twin-screw extruder. The TPS content was constant (50 %) and the PHB content in the blends was gradually changed from 0 mass % to 20 mass %. TPS was prepared by melting, where a mixture of native starch, water and glycerol was fed into the twin-screw extruder. Average temperature of extrusion was 180 °C and the concentration of glycerol was 40 mass %. Influence of the PHB concentration in the blend and that of the processing technology on the mechanical and rheological properties of the PLA/PHB composition containing TPS were studied. Mechanical properties were measured 24 h after the film and monofilament preparation and also after the specific storage time to study the effect of storage on the properties. The results indicate that differences in morphology strongly influence the mechanical properties of the studied materials with identical material composition.

Keywords: biodegradable polymers – modification – mechanical properties

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1515/chempap-2016-0075

Chemical Papers 70 (10) 1408–1415 (2016)