Polylactide/Biopolyethylene Bioblends

In this work, Polylactide/Biopolyethylene blends were developed. Although some studies have been carried out on polylactide/polyethylene blends, none of them has used polyethylene synthesized with raw material obtained from natural sources. Due to the incompatibility between polylactide and polyethylene, E-GMA and EMA-GMA compatibilizers were used. These compatibilizers present glycidyl methacrylate groups in their structure, which may react with the functional end-groups of polylactide. To evaluate the properties, the blends were characterized by mechanical tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and melt flow index (MFI). The results indicated that the compatibilizers played an important role in the blends, interacting with the blends components, modifying the morphology and improving the mechanical properties.