Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid)/Natural Rubber Blend Using Epoxidized Natural Rubber and Poly(methyl methacrylate) as Co-compatibilizers

Wuthiphong Dechatiwong Na Ayutthaya; Sirilux Poompradub

Macromolecular Research, Vol.22, No.7, 686-692, July, 2014

DOI10.1007/s13233-014-2102-1 Export Citation

Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid)/Natural Rubber Blend Using Epoxidized Natural Rubber and Poly(methyl methacrylate) as Co-compatibilizers

Wuthiphong Dechatiwong Na Ayutthaya, and Sirilux Poompradub^{1, †}

Program in Petrochemistry and Polymer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
¹Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand, Korea

E-mail:

In order to improve the toughness of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), the incorporation of natural rubber (NR), which has a high elasticity and flexibility, can be used. However, the phase incompatibility between PLA and NR can cause poor mechanical properties of the final product in the absence of a compatibilizer because of their different polarities. In this research, epoxidized NR (ENR) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were used as co-compatibilizers for linking PLA/NR blends (PLA 100: NR 15 parts by weight per hundred parts of resin (phr)). Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the effect of the ENR/PMMA co-compatibilizer contents on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the 100:15 phr PLA/NR blend. With 3 phr of ENR and 1 phr of PMMA, the elongation at break and impact strength of the 100:15 phr PLA/NR blend was significantly improved up to 1,813% and 362%, respectively. The thermal stability of the PLA/NR blend was also increased when using the co-compatibilizers. Interestingly, the PLA/NR blend containing the co-compatibilizer showed a high ultimate tensile strength after thermal aging at 100 ℃ for 1 h with good mechanical properties. However, the percentage of crystallinity and glass transition temperature were decreased by the added co-compatibilizer. Finally, a good compatibility between the PLA and NR matrices could be clearly observed by scanning electron microscopy in the presence of the co-compatibilizer.

Keywords:poly(lactic acid);natural rubber;epoxidized natural rubber;poly(methyl methacrylate);polymer blend.

[References]

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Balakrishnan H, Hassan A, Wahit MU, Yussuf AA, Mater. Des., 31, 3289 (2010)
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[Referenced By]

[1] Vink ETH, Rabago KR, Glassner DA, Grubber PR, Polym. Degrad. Stab., 80, 403 (2003)

[2] Groot W, van Krieken J, Sliekersl O, de Vos S, in Poly(lactic acid): Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, and Applications, Auras R, Lim LT, Selke SEM, Tsuji H, Eds, John Wiley & Sons series, New Jersey, 2010, pp 3-18.

[3] Rasal RM, Hirt DE, Macromol. Mater. Eng., 295, 204 (2010)

[4] Khurma JR, Rohindra DR, Devi R, SPJNS., 23, 22 (2005)

[5] Bitinis N, Verdejo R, Cassagnau P, Lopez-Manchado MA, Mater. Chem. Phys., 129(3), 823 (2011)

[6] Chen HP, Pyda M, Cebe P, Thermochim. Acta, 492(1-2), 61 (2009)

[7] Zhang W, Chen L, Zhang Y, Polymer, 50(5), 1311 (2009)

[8] Balakrishnan H, Hassan A, Wahit MU, Yussuf AA, Mater. Des., 31, 3289 (2010)

[9] Rasal RM, Janorkar AV, Hirt DE, Prog. Polym. Sci., 35, 338 (2010)

[10] Anderson KS, Lim SH, Hillmyer MA, J. Appl. Polym. Sci.

[11] Piorkowska E, Kulinski Z, Galeski A, Masirek R, Polymer, 47(20), 7178 (2006)

[12] Hu Y, Hu YS, Topolkaraev V, Hiltner A, Baer E, Polymer, 44(19), 5681 (2003)

[13] Martino VP, Jimenez A, Ruseckaite RA, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 112(4), 2010 (2009)

[14] Murariu M, Ferreira ADS, Pluta M, Bonnaud L, Alexandre M, Dubois P, Eur. Polym. J., 44, 3842 (2008)

[15] Yokohara T, Yamaguchi M, Eur. Polym. J., 44, 677 (2008)

[16] Gu SY, Zhang K, Ren J, Zhan H, Carbohydr. Polym., 74, 79 (2008)

[17] Lu JM, Qiu ZB, Yang WT, Polymer, 48(14), 4196 (2007)

[18] Detyothin S, Kathuria A, Jaruwattanayon W, Selke SEM, Auras Rl, in Poly(lactic acid): Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, and Applications, Auras R, Lim LT, Selke SEM, Tsuji H, Eds, John Wiley & Sons series, New Jersey, pp 227-272 (2010)

[19] Yoo TW, Yoon HG, Choi SJ, Kim MS, Kim YH, Kim WN, Macromol. Res., 18(6), 583 (2010)

[20] Oksman K, Skrifvars M, Selin JF, Compos. Sci. Technol., 63, 1317 (2003)

[21] Masirek R, Kulinski Z, Chionna D, Piorkowska E, Pracella M, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 105(1), 255 (2007)

[22] Juntuek P, Ruksakulpiwat C, Chumsamrong P, Ruksakulpiwat Y, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 125(1), 745 (2012)

[23] Balakrishnan H, Hassan A, Wahit MU, J. Elastom. Plast., 42, 223 (2010)

[24] Jaratrotkamjorn R, Khaokong C, Tanrattanakul V, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 124(6), 5027 (2012)

[25] Mahapram S, Poompradub S, Polym. Test., 30, 716 (2011)

[26] Zhang C, Wang W, Huang Y, Pan Y, Jiang L, Dan Y, Luo Y, Peng Z, Mater. Des., 45, 198 (2013)

[27] Gelling IR, Porter M, in Natural Rubber Science and Technology, Roberts AD, Ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 359-456 (1988)

[28] Nishida H, in Poly(lactic acid): Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, and Applications, Auras R, Lim LT, Selke SEM, Tsuji H, Eds., John Wiley & Sons series, New Jersey, pp 401-412 (2010)

[29] Goritz D, Muller FH, Sietz W, Prog. Colloid Polym. Sci., 62, 114 (1977)

[30] Coppola S, Balzano L, Gioffredi E, Maffettone PL, Grizzuti N, Polymer, 45(10), 3249 (2004)