Studies on the thermal and mechanical behavior of PLA-PET blends

ABSTRACT The increasing use of bio‐sourced and biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in bottle packaging presents an increasing challenge to the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling process. Despite advanced separation technologies to remove PLA from PET recyclate, PLA may sti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied polymer science 2016-11, Vol.133 (43), p.np-n/a
Main Authors: McLauchlin, Andrew R., Ghita, Oana R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
amorphous
Biodegradability
biopolymers and renewable polymers
Crystallization
differential scanning calorimetry
Fracture strength
Injection molding
Materials science
Mechanical properties
Mechanical tests
Microparticles
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalates
Polylactic acid
Polymer blends
Polymers
properties and characterization
Thermal degradation
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Summary:ABSTRACT The increasing use of bio‐sourced and biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in bottle packaging presents an increasing challenge to the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling process. Despite advanced separation technologies to remove PLA from PET recyclate, PLA may still be found in rPET process streams. This study explores the effects of PLA on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of blends of PET containing 0.5–20% PLA produced by injection molding. SEM indicates an immiscible blend of the two polymers and TGA confirms the independent behavior of the two polymers under thermal degradation conditions. Temperature‐modulated DSC studies indicate that adding PLA to PET increases the rigid amorphous fraction of the PET moiety. Critical amounts of PLA induce stress oscillation behavior during mechanical testing. The mechanical behavior of the samples is explained by antagonistic interaction between increased rigid amorphous fraction and decreased fracture strength arising from an increased population of PLA microparticles. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44147.
ISSN:0021-8995
1097-4628
DOI:10.1002/app.44147