LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/THERMOPLASTIC STARCH BLENDS: EFFECT OF GLYCEROL CONTENT AND LDPE CONCENTRATION ON MORPHOLOGY AND TENSILE PROPERTIES IN THE DUAL PHASE CONTINUITY REGION

摘要

Starch was gelatinized, plasticized and melt blended with LDPE in a one step process with three different glycerol/water ratios. In LDPE/thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends, the percentage by weight of LDPE was varied from 40 to 70 in order to study the region of dual-phase continuity. Extruded sheets were characterized for composition, tensile properties and morphology. Hydrolytic degradation was carried out in order to determine the degree of connectivity of TPS domains. TPS domains presented a fiber-like-structure when glycerol content was higher than 27.5%. Co-continuous morphologies were found close to 45 wt. % of TPS produced by fiber coalescence. Those results were confirmed by the degree of connectivity of TPS domains. Elongation at break of blends having high TPS loading, and compounded with 27.5% glycerol or more, maintain in excess of 80% of the original elongation of LDPE.