Gi Hong Kim
Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea
Title: MSE-13: Thermal, mechanical properties of modified poly (lactic-acid) / poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) blends
Biography
Biography: Gi Hong Kim
Abstract
Poly (lactic-acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) are bio-based polymers which aid to replace petroleum-based polymers in future applications. In this study, Biodegradable PLA/PBAT blends were prepared with varying ratio of peroxide, isocyanate, and multi-epoxy groups by reactive blending. The effect of chain-extenders on the thermal behavior, mechanical properties and morphology of the modified PLA/PBAT blends were investigated. Peroxide and isocyanate chain extender were found to be more reactive to PBAT than PLA. But multi-epoxy chain extender was more reactive to PLA. The viscosity change of PLA/PBAT blends was significantly indicated when adding isocyanate or multi-epoxy chain extender whereas the tensile strength and elongation were improved with peroxide or isocyanate. As a result, the compatibility between the PLA and PBAT partially improved in the presence of the chain-extenders and thus it was confirmed that softening of PLA was possible.