Effect Of Compatibilizer Research Articles

Effect of Compatibilization of Thermoplastic Polyurethane with Poly(lactic acid) for the Preparation of Sustainable Blends

Effect of Compatibilization of Thermoplastic Polyurethane with Poly(lactic acid) for the Preparation of Sustainable Blends

Influences of reactive compatibilization on the structure and physical properties of blends based on thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester and poly(1,4‐cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate)

AbstractWe report the effects of reactive compatibilization on the morphology, microstructure, and physical properties of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester/poly(1,4‐cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) (TLCP/PCT, 75/25 by wt%) blends, which are fabricated via melt‐compounding in the presence of different catalyst types and contents. Among three different catalysts, titanium butoxide (TBT) is found to be most effective in the reactive compatibilization of TLCP/PCT blends, which is confirmed by SEM images. FT‐IR spectroscopic analysis reveals the formation of copolyesters by catalyst‐induced transesterification between TLCP and PCT components during melt‐compounding with 0.5 and 1.0 phr TBT loadings. Nonetheless, X‐ray diffraction analysis confirms that the crystal structures of TLCP/PCT blends are not affected by reactive compatibilization. The melting and crystallization transition temperatures of the PCT component in the compatibilized blends decrease owing to the shortening of crystallizable PCT segments by the transesterification. TGA data show that the residue at 800°C increases for the blends melt‐compounded with higher TBT catalyst loadings. The shear moduli and complex viscosity of compatibilized TLCP/LCP blends at a melt state are found to be even higher than neat TLCP and PCT. Although the elastic storage moduli of compatibilized TLCP/PCT blends are slightly lower than neat TLCP, they are far higher than neat PCT.

Treatment of cyanide-bearing wastewater by the N263-TBP synergistic extraction system

In this study, a trioctylmethylammonium chloride (N263)- tributyl phosphate (TBP)-n-octanol-sulfonated kerosene (N263-T) synergistic extraction system and an N263-n-octanol-sulfonated kerosene (N263–O) system were used to treat cyanide (CN)-bearing wastewater. The extraction saturation capacity of the two systems was measured. The influences of the initial pH and phase ratio (O/A) of the two systems on extraction were compared and analyzed. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and slope methods were used to analyze the characteristic functional groups in the loaded organic phase, the compositions of the extracted compounds in the extraction reactions and the reaction mechanism. The results indicated that the saturated extraction capacity of the N263-T system, which was much larger than that of the N263–O system, for metal CN complex ions was 4354.31 mg/L. In addition, the N263-T system operated over a wider pH range. The extraction rates of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) ions at pH 14 were 97.4%, 99.1%, and 87.2%, respectively. There was a strong compatibilization effect of TBP on the extraction system. The extraction efficiency of the N263-T system for metal CN complex ions was higher than that of the N263–O system when O/A = 0.4. The saturated loaded N263-T and N263–O systems were stripped by 1 mol/L NaOH +2 mol/L NaSCN solution at O/A = 3. The metal ion concentration in the stripping solution could be enriched to 11996.6 and 8913.3 mg/L for the N263-T and N263–O systems, respectively. During the extraction process, the binding ratios of N263 cations to Cu(CN)32−, Zn(CN)42−, and Fe(CN)63− were 2:1, 2:1, and 3:1, respectively. The binding ratios of TBP to Cu(CN)32−, Zn(CN)42−, and Fe(CN)63− in wastewater were 3:1, 4:1, and 6:1, respectively. The PO group in TBP was linked to the CN group of the metal CN complex ion by hydrogen bonds using the water molecule as a bridge to form a supramolecular anion group, which entered into the organic phase and combined with the N263 cation under the action of ion association.

Synthesis, mechanical, and flammability properties of metal hydroxide reinforced polymer composites: A review

AbstractBurning of plastics present a serious problem for both our health and safety when applied in advanced applications. Based on the above argument, there is need to enhance the flammability resistance of polymers in order to meet the required flammability standards. Various flame‐retardant fillers are incorporated into polymers in order to provide a protection against heat into the system and inhibit the diffusion of volatile materials out of the polymer composite system. Different flame‐retardant fillers including phosphorus‐based materials, carbon‐based flame retardants, and inorganic hydrated flame‐retardant fillers have been added into polymers in order to improve the flame retardancy of the plastics. Amongst the abovementioned flame‐retardant fillers, inorganic hydrated fillers have gained popularity, especially magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) due its high heat absorption capacity, less smoke release, and non‐toxic, as a result environmentally friendly flame‐retardant filler. However, an effective content of magnesium hydroxide for better flammability retardancy is approximately 60 wt%, which happens to deteriorate the mechanical properties of the magnesium hydroxide/polymer composites. In order to try and compensate for reduction in mechanical properties and improve the flame retardancy of the composites at the same time, magnesium hydroxide is incorporated with another flame‐retardant fillers. This review article covers an in‐depth discussion on the effect of magnesium hydroxide modification, synergistic effect with other fillers, particle size of the magnesium hydroxide, and the effect of compatibilizer(s) on both mechanical and flammability properties of magnesium hydroxide reinforced polymer composites.

Grafting of Isobutylene–Isoprene Rubber with Glycidyl Methacrylate and Its Reactive Compatibilization Effect on Isobutylene–Isoprene Rubber/Polyamides 12 Blends

Isobutylene–isoprene rubber (IIR)/polyamides 12 (PA12) blends are well known for their high gas barrier property and thus find applications in refrigeration hoses, tire inner liners, and so on. Nevertheless, the design and preparation of a good compatibilizer for the IIR/PA12 blend is required because of the poor compatibility between PA12 and the IIR phases. In this study, an efficient reactive compatibilizer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-grafted IIR (IIR-g-GMA) copolymer, and GMA/styrene (St)-grafted IIR (IIR-g-St-GMA) copolymer were produced through the free-radical melt grafting reaction, which were initiated by dicumyl peroxide (DCP). Compared with IIR-g-GMA, IIR-g-St-GMA shows a significantly higher grafting degree because the fast generated, more stable St-grafted IIR macroradicals can act as a “bridge” to connect GMA molecules on IIR macroradicals. The results indicate that reactive compatibilization occurs by the introduction of the copolymer, and the extent of the interfacial reaction and compatibilization effect increases with increasing the copolymer content and the grafting degree of GMA. Nanomechanical mapping images of atomic force microscopy show that the average interfacial thickness of the blend largely increases from approximately 55 to 120 nm after compatibilization with 30 phr IIR-g-St-GMA. Meanwhile, the size of the IIR dispersed phase domains largely decreases from 3 to 5 μm to approximately 0.7 μm after compatibilization with this copolymer. The compatibilization mechanism of the copolymers on IIR/PA12 blends is discussed.

The influence in difference of compatibilizers on the mechanical and rheological properties of LDPE/PLST blends

In this present study, low density polyethylene/plasticizer starch (LDPE/PLST) blends were prepared as a product to be used in disposable packaging (film applications), reducing the negative polymeric environmental effect. Because of their different molecular structures, LDPE blends with starch are fully immiscible; therefore, a compatibility agent is required. Three different polymer and/or copolymer: poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrolyzed 75% (PVOH), styrene-allyl alcohol copolymer (SAA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were selected as compatibilizers containing –OH groups. The effects of compatibilizer on the mechanical and rheological properties of LDPE/PLST blends were investigated and compared to LDPE/PLST without compatibilzer. The blends are also characterized by FTIR, which strongly indicates the existence of compatibilizers that can enhance phase interaction and promote compatibility in the blends of LDPE/PLST. Comparing to the blend without a compatibilizer, the tensile strengths of the blends containing PVOH and SAA increased significantly. The elongation at break results shows similar observation. The rheological measurement results suggested that the addition of a compatibilizer exhibited an increase in the shear stress and apparent viscosity comparing to the uncompatibilized blend except the blend with PEG which exhibited phase separation.

Phase morphology, mechanical, and thermal properties of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic elastomer: Effects of blend composition and compatibilization.

In this work, recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) was compounded with regenerated tire rubber (RR) (35–80 wt.%) and reinforced with recycled tire textile fiber (RTF) (20 wt.%) as a first step. The materials were compounded by melt extrusion, injection molded, and characterized in terms of morphological, mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. Although, replacement of the rubber phase with RTF compensated for tensile/flexural moduli losses of rHDPE/RR/RTF blends because of the more rigid nature of fibers increasing the composites stiffness, the impact strength substantially decreased. So, a new approach is proposed for impact modification by adding a blend of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE)/RR (70/30) into a fiber-reinforced rubberized composite. As in this case, a more homogeneous distribution of the fillers was observed due to better compatibility between MAPE, rHDPE, and RR. The tensile properties were improved as the elongation at break increased up to 173% because of better interfacial adhesion. Impact modification of the resulting thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) composites based on rHDPE/(RR/MAPE)/RTF was successfully performed (improved toughness by 60%) via encapsulation of the rubber phase by MAPE forming a thick/soft interphase decreasing interfacial stress concentration slowing down fracture. Finally, the thermal stability of rubberized fiber-reinforced TPE also revealed the positive effect of MAPE addition on molecular entanglements and strong bonding yielding lower weight loss, while the microstructure and crystallinity degree did not significantly change up to 60 wt.% RR/MAPE (70/30).

Recent advances in compatibility and toughness of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

Abstract Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has good impact strength and high elongation at break. It is used to toughen biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) materials because it can considerably improve the toughness of PLA without changing the biodegradability of the materials. Therefore, this approach has become a hotspot in the field of biodegradable materials. A review of the physical and chemical modification methods that are applied to improve the performance of PLA/PBS blends based on recent studies is presented in this article. The improvement effect of PLA/PBS blends and the addition of some common fillers on the physical properties and crystallization properties of blends in the physical modification method are summarized briefly. The compatibilizing effects of nanofillers and compatibilizing agents necessary to improve the compatibility and toughness of PLA/PBS blends are described in detail. The chemical modification method involving the addition of reactive polymers and low-molecular-weight compounds to form cross-linked/branched structures at the phase interface during in situ reactions was introduced clearly. The addition of reactive compatibilizing components is an effective strategy to improve the compatibility between PLA and PBS components and further improve the mechanical properties and processing properties of the materials. It has high research value and wide application prospects in the modification of PLA. In addition, the degradation performance of PLA/PBS blends and the methods to improve the degradation performance were briefly summarized, and the development direction of PLA/PBS blends biodegradation performance research was prospected.

Choosing an Effective Compatibilizer for a Virgin HDPE Rich-HDPE/PP Model Blend.

The most widely used commodity polymers in the rigid packaging industry are polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). For example, blow molding grade of HDPE as a bottle and injection molding grade of PP as a cap are often used to produce detergent bottles. Therefore, the recycled HDPE bottles from post-consumer waste include PP as a contaminant originated from PP bottle caps. To simulate mechanical recycling of bottle waste, the mechanical properties of HDPE-rich-HDPE/PP virgin model blend were studied. For compatibilization, ethylene-based olefin block copolymer, propylene-based olefin block copolymer, ethylene propylene random copolymer, and styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer were chosen as potential compatibilizer candidates. Contact angle measurements, morphological analysis, adhesion tests of compatibilizer candidates to polymer blend components and the tensile as well as tensile impact properties of the ternary blends were studied. It was found that the ethylene-based olefin block copolymer was the most effective compatibilizer resulting in a return of mechanical properties to those of neat vHDPE due to its ability to encapsulate dispersed vPP particles in a vHDPE matrix (core-shell morphology) and the best adhesion to polymer blend components.

Combined Effects of Cellulose Nanofiber Nucleation and Maleated Polylactic Acid Compatibilization on the Crystallization Kinetic and Mechanical Properties of Polylactic Acid Nanocomposite.

This work investigated the combined effects of CNF nucleation (3 wt.%) and PLA-g-MA compatibilization at different loadings (1–4 wt.%) on the crystallization kinetics and mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA). A crystallization kinetics study was done through isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. It was shown that PLA-g-MA had some effect on nucleation as exhibited by the value of crystallization half time and crystallization rate of the PLA/PLA-g-MA, which were increased by 180% and 172%, respectively, as compared to neat PLA when isothermally melt crystallized at 100 °C. Nevertheless, the presence of PLA-g-MA in PLA/PLA-g-MA/CNF3 nanocomposites did not improve the crystallization rate compared to that of uncompatibilized PLA/CNF3. Tensile strength was reduced with the increased amount of PLA-g-MA. Contrarily, Young’s modulus values showed drastic increment compared to the neat PLA, showing that the addition of the PLA-g-MA contributed to the rigidity of the PLA nanocomposites. Overall, it can be concluded that PLA/CNF nanocomposite has good performance, whereby the addition of PLA-g-MA in PLA/CNF may not be necessary for improving both the crystallization kinetics and tensile strength. The addition of PLA-g-MA may be needed to produce rigid nanocomposites; nevertheless, in this case, the crystallization rate of the material needs to be compromised.

Investigation into lignin modified PBAT/thermoplastic starch composites: Thermal, mechanical, rheological and water absorption properties

This study prepared ternary composites PBAT/thermoplastic starch (TPS)/lignin containing 20, 30 and 40 wt% of TPS/lignin fillers via thermal compounding, and found that lignin imposes compatibilization effect on PBAT and TPS. Thermal analysis shows that the incorporation of lignin results in higher thermal stability, reduced crystallization temperatures, broader crystallization exotherms and increased Tg due to the rigid aromatic structure of lignin. Tensile tests exhibit that strain at break and tensile strength reaches a maximum at loading 10 wt% of lignin. The reinforcement of lignin is reflected as the enhanced elastic modulus, Shore-D hardness, and more prominent yielding behavior of the composites. Rheological and microscope measurements show that the incorporation of lignin leads to higher approximation to theoretical Han curve, and reduced TPS particle size in the composites, indicating that lignin improves the interfacial compatibility between the PBAT and TPS phases. Contact angle and water absorption results demonstrate that lignin improves the hydrophobicity and water repelling ability of the composites, which are favorable for products with prolonged mechanical properties and shelf life.

Binary Green Blends of Poly(lactic acid) with Poly(butylene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate) and Poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) and Their Nanocomposites.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is the most widely produced biobased, biodegradable and biocompatible polyester. Despite many of its properties are similar to those of common petroleum-based polymers, some drawbacks limit its utilization, especially high brittleness and low toughness. To overcome these problems and improve the ductility and the impact resistance, PLA is often blended with other biobased and biodegradable polymers. For this purpose, poly(butylene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) are very advantageous copolymers, because their toughness and elongation at break are complementary to those of PLA. Similar to PLA, both these copolymers are biodegradable and can be produced from annual renewable resources. This literature review aims to collect results on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of PLA/PBAT and PLA/PBSA blends, as binary blends with and without addition of coupling agents. The effect of different compatibilizers on the PLA/PBAT and PLA/PBSA blends properties is here elucidated, to highlight how the PLA toughness and ductility can be improved and tuned by using appropriate additives. In addition, the incorporation of solid nanoparticles to the PLA/PBAT and PLA/PBSA blends is discussed in detail, to demonstrate how the nanofillers can act as morphology stabilizers, and so improve the properties of these PLA-based formulations, especially mechanical performance, thermal stability and gas/vapor barrier properties. Key points about the biodegradation of the blends and the nanocomposites are presented, together with current applications of these novel green materials.

Significantly improved high dielectric MWCNTs filled PVDF/PS/HDPE composites via constructing double bi-continuous structure

Multi-layer composites with vastly difference in electrical properties for each layer are a promising candidate to design high dielectric materials, showing a tremendous promise on dielectric applications. But fabrication of these dielectric materials is relatively complicated, and unsuitable for large-scale production. Herein, a novel dielectric poly (vinylidene fluoride)/polystyrene/high density polyethylene (PVDF/PS/HDPE) composite constructed via tri-continuous structure were designed. And via variation PS concentration to control the compatibilizer effect of PS phase, a smaller PS phase size has been obtained and this composite finally exhibits a double bi-continuous morphology structure. For this double bi-continuous PVDF/PS/HDPE composite, a better dispersion of MWCNT particles increases the density of interfacial charge enrichment, and the increase of the specific surface area of the interfacial layer increases the number of enriched charges, which make the interfacial polarization increase most significantly compared with the other composites. Thus, a high-performance dielectric PVDF/PS/HDPE composite with high ε′ and low tan δ have been realized.

Effects of Repulsion Parameter and Chain Length of Homopolymers on Interfacial Properties of An/Ax/2BxAx/2/Bm Blends: A DPD Simulation Study.

We explored the effects of the repulsion parameter () and chain length (NHA or NHB) of homopolymers on the interfacial properties of An/Ax/2BxAx/2/Bm ternary polymeric blends using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. Our simulations show that: (i) The ternary blends exhibit the significant segregation at the repulsion parameter ( = 40). (ii) Both the interfacial tension and the density of triblock copolymer at the center of the interface increase to a plateau with increasing the homopolymer chain length, which indicates that the triblock copolymers with shorter chain length exhibit better performance as the compatibilizers for stabilizing the blends. (iii) For the case of NHA = 4 (chain length of homopolymers An) and NHB (chain length of homopolymers Bm) ranging from 16 to 64, the blends exhibit larger interfacial widths with a weakened correlation between bead An and Bm of homopolymers, which indicates that the triblock copolymer compatibilizers (Ax/2BxAx/2) show better performance in reducing the interfacial tension. The effectiveness of triblock copolymer compatibilizers is, thus, controlled by the regulation of repulsion parameters and the homopolymer chain length. This work raises important considerations concerning the use of the triblock copolymer as compatibilizers in the immiscible homopolymer blend systems.

Graphene oxide and graphene hybrid nanocomposites based on compatibilized PP/PTW/EVA: effect of nanofiller and compatibilizer on the modeling of viscoplastic behavior

Graphene oxide and graphene hybrid nanocomposites based on compatibilized PP/PTW/EVA: effect of nanofiller and compatibilizer on the modeling of viscoplastic behavior

The effect of different compatibilizers on the properties of prepared poly(lactic acid)/polyurethane nanofibers by electrospinning

In this study, the poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polyurethane (PU) nonwoven mats have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning from PLA/PU (50:50 w/w) blended solutions with/without compatibilizer. The influence of the compatibilizers which are called POSS Amic Acid Isobutyl (AAI), Tetra Silanol Phenyl POSS (TSP) and Joncryl (JO) on the characteristic properties of PLA/PU nanofibers has been investigated. The types of compatibilizer used in this paper were studied for the first time in the literature for PLA/PU blend nanofibers. The nanofibers were characterized with scanning electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle test, and mechanical analysis. The electrospun mat which has the smoothest fiber surfaces, thinnest fiber diameter with 812 nm and a superhydrophobic surface structure with an angle of 154° was obtained by using AAI. The fabricated nanofiber by using JO has been seen having the highest strength value with 3.5 MPa and the highest crystallinity ratio with 20.1%. The highest elongation value with 51.9% was obtained for the nanofiber by using TSP. When the 5% weight loss temperature value of all PLA/PU nanofibers was compared, it was noted that the JO added nanofiber has the highest temperature durability with 292.16 °C. Also, the Tm value of all PLA/PU nanofibers has been resulted at about 155 °C like of pure PLA nanofiber. It is expected that thin and flexible biodegradable PLA/PU nanofibers with good physical and mechanical properties can be used in areas such as water repellent coating material, food packaging.

Effect of compatibilizer and fiber loading on ensete fiber-reinforced HDPE green composites: Physical, mechanical, and morphological properties

Ensete fiber is a natural material extracted from E. ventricosum plants which is widely cultivated for food. This study is the first attempt to develop its composite by improving its compatibility with high density polyethylene (HDPE). The premixed composite constituents were melt-compounded by twin-screw extrusion and granulated. Composite plates were molded using hot-press machine. The effect of grafting maleic anhydride to HDPE and varying fiber loading on composite properties were investigated. Increasing ensete fiber loading has resulted in the composites being stiffer and harder leading to a decrease in its elongation at break. The addition of 5 wt% compatibilizer into 25 wt% ensete fiber-filled HDPE improved the fiber-matrix adhesion. Its tensile strength, flexural strength and impact absorption energy increased by nearly 43%, 46%, and 56% respectively when compared to composites with the same fiber loading and without compatibilizer. Morphological analysis from microscopic images of tensile fracture surfaces enlightened the interfacial adhesion to support these test results. The composites density, water absorption and melt flow index were also compared. The results show that ensete fiber-HDPE composite could be used as construction and building materials, low-density furniture, and moldable structures in need of design flexibility.

Polypropylene/poly(lactic acid)/carbon nanotube semi‐biodegradable nanocomposites: The effect of sequential mixing approach and compatibilization on morphology, rheology and electrical conductivity

AbstractSemi‐biodegradable polypropylene (PP)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (50:50 vol%) blend loaded with 0.6 vol% of pristine carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt compounding the components using different sequential mixing strategies: (i) all components together (PP/PLA/CNT); (ii) PP first mixed with CNT (PP@CNT/EVA) and (iii) EVA first mixed with CNT (EVA@CNT/PP). The composites presented co‐continuous structure and the CNT selectively localized inside the PP phase or at the interface, regardless the order of the CNT addition into the mixing. These features were confirmed by selective extraction experiments and morphological studies: optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. However, the preferential localization at the interface was predicted from wetting coefficient, determined from interfacial energy. Higher electrical conductivity values were achieved by using the one‐step mixing approach, were all components were mixed together, whose value of around 10−4 S/m was achieved by adding 0.6 vol% of CNT to the blend. The compatibilization with polypropylene‐g‐maleic anhydride increased the melt viscosity of the blend and composite but did not affect the conductivity or the tensile properties of the CNT‐based composite.

Development of PP/r-PET Low-speed Wheels: An Approach to Value Added Recycling of PET along with Minimizing Virgin Plastic Usage in the Industry

The increase of plastic usage in different applications has a huge impact on the environment due waste generation. This study was focused not only to find a way to reduce the virgin plastic usage but also to convert a commodity plastic waste into a commercial engineering product. Post consumed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles were used as a source of recycled PET (r-PET) and blended with commercial grade polypropylene (PP) to produce the center part of low speed wheels. Thermomechanical properties of PP/r-PET blends were investigated along with the effect of compatibilization. The quality of prepared wheels was examined with dynamic drum test and impact test. The addition of recycled PET into polypropylene enhanced the properties of blends and it also supported to maintain the fatigue life of the wheel.

Reactive compatibilization of biodegradable PLA/TPU blends via hybrid nanoparticle

In this study, the compatibilization effects of triglycidylisobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (TEpPOSS) on biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends were investigated. All blends were prepared via melt blending and PLA/TPU (80/20, 70/30, 50/50 wt%) ratio was selected as the experimental parameter. In order to predict the selective localization of TEpPOSS thermodynamically, wetting coefficient were determined by means of surface energy measurements. Morphological analyses were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Moreover, rheological, mechanical, thermomechanical and thermal properties of the blends were performed via rheometer, universal tensile tester, dynamic mechanic analyses and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), respectively. Morphological test results revealed that TEpPOSSs were mostly located at the interfaces of the PLA and TPU phases. According to the rheological studies, the interfacial interactions between PLA and TPU were improved with the addition of TEpPOSS, which resulted from the potential reactions between epoxy-carboxylic acid and/or epoxy-hydroxyl functional groups. The addition of TEpPOSS enhanced the mechanical properties of PLA/TPU blends. DSC test results revealed a decrease in the glass transition temperatures of PLA in the presence of TEpPOSS, which was an another indication of improved compatibility between PLA and TPU.