Effect of triphenyl phosphite as a reactive compatibilizer on the properties of poly(L-lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

Reactive blending is an innovative method for the improvement of compatibility of polymer blend. In this work, poly ( L -lactic acid) and poly (butylene succinate) (PLLA/PBS) blends were prepared by melt blending to ameliorate the toughness of PLLA. Triphenyl phosphite (TPP) was introduced into the PLLA/PBS blends (80/20 by weight) to enhance their compatibility via reactive blending. The effects of TPP on the morphology and properties of PLLA/PBS blends were studied systematically. The increased torque during melt blending demonstrated that the compatibilizer successfully reacted with PLLA and PBS. The mechanical properties of the blends were exceedingly improved only with 0.5 wt% TPP. A reduction tendency of size of the dispersed phase was observed due to the improvement of compatibility. The DSC and DMA results indicate that the T g of PLLA decreased at a slow rate with the increasing content of TPP. This work provided a simple approach for preparing a kind of high toughed PLLA material. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137 , 48646.