Mechanical and thermal properties of thermoplastic acetylated starch/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) blends

Blends of thermoplastic acetylated starch (TPAS) and poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) were prepared with different components by melt blending method and the mechanical and thermal properties of these blends were investigated. Tensile testing shows that with the increasing of EVOH content, the mechanical properties of TPAS/EVOH blends are improved significantly. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) indicates that there is a good miscibility between TPAS and EVOH, and the molecular interactions of TPAS/EVOH blends become stronger with the increasing of EVOH content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results also reveal that there are some interactions between TPAS and EVOH that can interrupt the crystallization of EVOH. It can be inferred from thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) that EVOH can increase the thermal stability of TPAS.