Biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate) blends and copolymers containing minor amounts of poly(butylene succinate)

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 2010-06, Vol.116 (6), p.3693-3701
• Main Authors: Lu, Hsin-Ying, Chen, Ming, Chen, Chi He, Lu, Jin-Shan, Hoang, Kim-Chi, Tseng, Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; biodegradable; Crystallization; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; polyesters; Properties and characterization
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.31932

Poly(ethylene succinate) (PES), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and PES-rich copolyesters were synthesized using an effective catalyst, titanium tetraisopropoxide. PES was blended with minor amounts of PBS for the comparison. The compositions of the copolyesters and the blends were determined from NMR spectra. Their thermal properties were studied using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), a temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC), and a thermogravimetric analyzer. No significant difference exists among the thermal stabilities of these polyesters and blends. For the blends, the reversible curves of TMDSC showed a distinct glass-rubber transition temperature (Tg), however, the variation of the Tg values with the blend compositions was small. Isothermal crystallization kinetics and the melting behavior after crystallization were examined using DSC. Wide-angle X-ray diffractograms (WAXD) were obtained for the isothermally crystallized specimens. The results of DSC and WAXD indicate that the blends have a higher degree of crystallinity and a higher melting temperature than those of the corresponding copolymers.