Renewable Resource based blends of Polylactic acid (PLA) and Thermoplastic starch (TPS) using Novel Reactive Compatibilization

By : Sukhila Krishnan, Smita Mohanty, Sanjay K.Nayak

Page No: 525-538

Abstract
The current work deals with enhancing the compatibility between thermoplastic starch (TPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) blends. TPS was initially modified with methylene diphenyldiisocyanate (MDI) / epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) to reduce its hydrophilic nature. The effect of MDI / ESO incorporation on the properties of PLA/TPS blend was evaluated by employing thermal, mechanical, morphological and water absorption studies. Morphological studies showed that in comparison to TPS, TPS modified by MDI and ESO were uniformly dispersed within the PLA matrix and exhibited higher impact energy as compared with neat PLA.

Authors :
Sukhila Krishnan, Smita Mohanty and Sanjay K.Nayak : Laboratory for Advanced Research in Polymeric Materials (LARPM), Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar, INDIA