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Miscibility, crystallization, mechanical, and rheological properties of poly (L-lactic acid)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends

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Abstract

Herein, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) with high molecular weight were melt compounded to prepare blends with improved mechanical and rheological properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) suggested that PLA and PVAc were miscible. Rheological properties indicated that the addition of PVAc improved the viscoelasticity of PLA melt, resulting in the suppression of cold crystallization of the blends. Isothermal melt crystallization behaviors revealed the addition of PVAc decreased crystallization rate, whereas did not change the crystallization mechanism. Unexpectedly, increases of 38%, 21%, and 55% were achieved in the modulus, yield strength, and elongation at break of blend with 20 wt % PVAc content compared to neat PLA. What is more practical is that the PLA/PVAc blends prepared by simple melt blending process showed the combination of improved stiffness, strength, ductility, and melt strength, which helps to meet the performance and process requirements of PLA in various fields.

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Funding

This work is supported by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology Service Network Planning (KFJ-STS-QYZD-140).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, 130118, China

    Yi Li, Hongda Cheng & Shilong Yao

  2. Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China

    Yi Li, Changyu Han, Yancun Yu, Hechang Shi & Ye Zhang

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  1. Yi Li
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Correspondence to Changyu Han or Ye Zhang.

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Li, Y., Cheng, H., Han, C. et al. Miscibility, crystallization, mechanical, and rheological properties of poly (L-lactic acid)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends. Colloid Polym Sci 300, 763–774 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-022-04970-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-022-04970-6

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