Practical Approach in Developing Desirable Peel–Seal and Clear Lidding Films Based on Poly(Lactic Acid) and Poly(Butylene Adipate‐Co‐Terephthalate) Blends

Abstract

In this research, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend with poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) were selected to fabricate peelable lidding films. In general, blending PLA with PBAT results in hazy films; however, desirable low haze films (<10%) could be achieved in this study by designing proper blend composition and cast film process under optimum conditions. Based on various blends containing PBAT ranging from 15 to 30% by weight, it could be seen that a PBAT/PLA blend of 20/80 showed desired optical and peel–seal property, which had a haze of <10% and low peel strength in an easy‐peel characteristic. It was also observed that not only the blend composition but also the film thickness could influence both optical and peel–seal behaviours because the bulk morphology and surface irregularities of the films could vary by changing films' thicknesses. Thus, cast extruded pristine and PBAT/PLA (20/80) blend films of three different thicknesses (20, 35 and 50 μm) were studied. Peel–seal behaviour and optical properties of these films were examined. An I‐peel test (180°) of films sealed on PLA sheet (thickness of ~350 μm) with different interfacial sealing temperature illustrated failure mechanism of four types, i.e. tearing, partial tearing, cohesive and adhesive failure. Based on this study, the PBAT/PLA of 20/80 wt% films with thickness of 20 μm can be used as easy‐peel lidding film sealed with PLA container. Such PBAT/PLA blend films possess a low haze of ~4% and a low peel strength of 8–10 N/15 mm at a broad range of interfacial sealing temperature of 76–105°C. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.