The properties of poly(lactic acid)/starch blends with a functionalized plant oil: Tung oil anhydride

Bio-sourced polymers, polylactide (PLA) and starch, have been melt-blended by lab-scale co-extruder with tung oil anhydride (TOA) as the plasticizer. The ready reaction between the maleic anhydride on TOA and the hydroxyl on starch led TOA molecules to accumulate on starch and increased the compatibility of PLA/starch blends, which was confirmed by FT-IR analyses and SEM. The TOA could change the mechanical properties and physical behaviors of PLA/starch blends. DSC and DMA analysis show that the TOA layer on starch has an effect on the thermal behavior of PLA in the ternary blend. The enrichment of TOA on starch improves the toughness and impact strength of the PLA/starch blends. The adding amount of TOA in PLA/starch blends primarily determined the compatibility and mechanical properties of the resulted ternary blends. The tensile and impact fracture modes of the PLA/starch blend with or without TOA has also been investigated by SEM analysis.