The Influences of Elastomer toward Degradability of Poly (lactic acid)

摘要

Poly (lactic acid)/elastomer blends were prepared via direct injection molding with the different weight fractions of elastomer, namely: 0, 10, 20 and 30 wt%. Degradation test of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) was performed by burial in the soil. The physical appearance and thermal properties of the tested specimens were monitored periodically. The presence of elastomer tended to significantly increase the degradability of PLA after buried for 27 weeks. With 30 wt% elastomer, the color and the surface of specimens become more white and rougher due to the degradation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate thermal properties and crystallinity of all samples. It was found that the melting temperature decreased as the amount of elastomer increased. The crystallinity showed that the degradation of PLA is occurred firstly in amorphous phase.