Preparation and property testing of compatibilized poly(l-lactide)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends

Kanyarat Suthapakti, Robert Molloy*, Winita Punyodom, Kanarat Nalampang, Thanawadee Leejarkpai, Paul D. Topham, Brian J. Tighe

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalSpecial issuepeer-review

Abstract

Poly(l-lactide) (PLL) has been blended with a polycaprolactone-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer as a toughening agent and a poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLLCL) copolymer as a compatibilizer. Both 2-component (PLL/TPU) and 3-component (PLL/TPU/PLLCL) blends were prepared by melt mixing, characterized, hot-pressed into thin sheets and their tensile properties tested. The results showed that, although the TPU could toughen the PLL, the blends were largely immiscible leading to phase separation. However, addition of the PLLCL copolymer improved blend compatibility. The best all-round properties were found for the 3-component blend of composition PLL/TPU/PLLCL = 90/10/10 parts by weight.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)299-304
Number of pages6
JournalMacromolecular Symposia
Volume354
Issue number1
Early online date25 Aug 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2015

Bibliographical note

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Suthapakti, K., Molloy, R., Punyodom, W., Nalampang, K., Leejarkpai, T., Topham, P. D., & Tighe, B. J. (2015). Preparation and property testing of compatibilized poly(l-lactide)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends. Macromolecular symposia, 354(1), 299-304, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/masy.201400057. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.

Keywords

  • compatibilization
  • immiscible blend
  • poly(l -lactide)
  • poly(l -lactide-co-caprolactone
  • thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Preparation and property testing of compatibilized poly(l-lactide)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this