The effects of different inorganic salts on the structure and properties of ionic liquid plasticized starch/poly(butylene succinate) blends

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazole chloride ([BMIM]Cl) plasticized starch/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blends containing inorganic salts with different cations were prepared by a Haake mixer. The compatibility, thermal behaviors including crystallinity, crystallization temperature and melting temperature, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of these blends were systematically investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the inorganic salts could interact strongly with [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch/PBS blends to improve their mechanical properties, while the thermal stability of the [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch/PBS blends was simultaneously reduced. The SEM results suggested that the compatibility of [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch and PBS was significantly improved with increasing inorganic salt content. Furthermore, by incorporating inorganic salts, the melting enthalpy (ΔHm), crystallinity (Xc), and cold crystallization temperature (Tcc) of the blends were decreased.