title: Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of poly(lactic acid)/epoxidized palm olein blend.
abstract: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is known to be a useful material in substituting the conventional petroleum-based polymer used in packaging, due to its biodegradability and high mechanical strength. Despite the excellent properties of PLA, low flexibility has limited the application of this material. Thus, epoxidized palm olein (EPO) was incorporated into PLA at different loadings (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt%) through the melt blending technique and the product was characterized. The addition of EPO resulted in a decrease in glass transition temperature and an increase of elongation-at-break, which indicates an increase in the PLA chain mobility. PLA/EPO blends also exhibited higher thermal stability than neat PLA. Further, the PLA/1 wt% EPO blend showed enhancement in the tensile, flexural and impact properties. This is due to improved interaction in the blend producing good compatible morphologies, which can be revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. Therefore, PLA can be efficiently plasticized by EPO and the feasibility of its use as flexible film for food packaging should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia. vsgiita@gmail.com
authors.forename: V S Giita
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Silverajah
authors.forename: Nor Azowa
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Norhazlin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zainuddin
authors.forename: Wan Md Zin Wan
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yunus
authors.forename: Hazimah Abu
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000737:chemistry; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D010938:Plant Oils; D010968:Plasticizers; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide); D000073878:Palm Oil