PLA-PHA blends: morphology, thermal and mechanical properties
Résumé
Biotechnological polymers such as polylactides (PLA) and polyhydoxyalkanoates (PHA) are alternatives to petroleum-based polymers and represent an attractive growing market. These sustainable polymers are becoming more competitive due to the increase of the price of the oil barrel and overall concern about the limits of petrol feedstock. However, the polymers from renewable resources have often serious disadvantages as compared with conventional synthetic polymers. One is poor mechanical properties which limit their practical applications. Blending of polymers is a useful way of obtaining new materials with improved properties, which can overcome the drawbacks of the pure components. The physical and mechanical properties of blends can be tuned by choosing the proper polymers, varying the composition of the blend and preparation conditions. Most of the studies on PLA and PHA blends that have been reported in the literature concern the blends prepared by solvent casting. Only few studies have been conducted on the preparation and characterization of PLA/PHA blends by melt mixing [1] despite the fact that both polymers are thermoplastics and their processing is similar to the classical oil-based polymers. In the present research work, blends of a polylactide and a poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) prepared by melt-mixing have been studied.
Domaines
Matériaux
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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