Preparation of biodegradable poly(lactic acid)/poly[(butylene diglycolate)-co-furandicarboxylate] blends with excellent toughness and gas barrier performance

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is known as one of the most promising biodegradable polyesters, while inherent brittleness and insufficient gas barrier performance limit its potential application as a film material. Herein, poly[(butylene diglycolate)-co-furandicarboxylate] (PBDF) with excellent flexibility and good gas barrier properties was synthesized and then melt-blended with PLA. Compared with neat PLA, the elongation at break of the PLA/PBDF20 blend increased more than 40 times and reached over 176.7%. In addition, its O₂, CO₂ and H₂O permeability coefficients decreased by 21.3%, 50.8% and 46.3%, respectively. Moreover, the PLA/PBDF20 blend also exhibited better biodegradability, with a weight loss rate increasing from 2.7% of neat PLA to 19.0% after 5 weeks of composting. Notably, incorporation of a multifunctional epoxy compatibilizer (Joncryl ADR®-4368) into the PLA/PBDF blends further enhanced their toughness and gas barrier performance, which could be attributed to the improvement of the miscibility between PLA and PBDF. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.