Biodegradable polymer blends of Poly(L-lactic acid) and gelatinized starch

Abstract

Gelatinized starches were prepared with various content of glycerol and were investigated in terms of the effect of the glycerol addition on characteristics of starch and its blends. Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLA) with various ratios of linear/star shaped PLA and starch gelatinized with various ratios of water/glycerol were melt-blended by using twin screw mixer. The blends were characterized by DSC thermal analysis, tensile test and morphological analysis. Gelatinization of starch was found to lead to destruction or diminution of hydrogen bonding in granules and a decrease of crystallinity of starch. DSC data showed that starch played a role as a nucleating agent and glycerol as plasticizer contributed to an improvement in crystallinity in PLA. blends. When the content of starch increased, the size of spherulites in PLA blends was smaller and less regular. In the case of PLA/pure starch blends, the voids appeared, which were formed by the separation of starch particles from the matrix. But for PLA/gelainized starch blends, these voids were not observed. In the case of blends with linear PLA and starch gelatinized with water/glycerol ratio of 100/40, the greatest superiority of mechanical properties was shown and the toughness was improved compared with PLA/pure starch blends.