Improvement of the properties of poly (L-lactide)/ethylene-ethyl acrylate-glyceryl methacrylate terpolymer (EGA) by the introduction of stereocomplex polylactide crystals

Abstract

Ternary blends comprising poly(L-lactide) (PLLA), ethylene-ethyl acrylate-glyceryl methacrylate terpolymer (EGA), and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) were melt blended using low-temperature method to obtain blends with balanced properties. The formation of stereocomplex polylactide (SC-PLA) crystals was verified by torque changes and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results. The SC-PLA crystals formed a percolating network in the PLLA matrix at a concentration of 2 wt% PDLA, and blend melt presented solid-like rheological behavior. Attributing to the increased viscosity ratio between PLLA and EGA, the size of dispersed EGA phase increased. The crystallization of PLLA was significantly promoted because of the nucleation effect of SC-PLA crystals. The PLLA/EGA/2 %PDLA ternary blends with elongation at break of 138 % and impact strength of 72.3 kJ/m2 exhibited excellent toughness. These ternary blends demonstrated exceptional crystallization ability and tailored rheological and mechanical properties, opening a new path for developing high-performance PLLA-based materials in packaging industry.