Fatty acid-based thermoplastic poly(ester-amide) as toughening and crystallization improver of poly(L-lactide)

Polylactide (PLA) is a bio-based and compostable aliphatic polyester that has gained widespread interest during the last decades due to its promising technical substitution potential. Its good mechanical properties comparable to some mainstream petroleum based thermoplastics are however counterbalanced by its inherent brittleness that limits its scope of applications. Toughening of PLA by blending with a rubber phase is the most used solution to reduce its brittleness because of economical and practical advantages that offers this modification pathway. In this study, we investigated by melt-blending, the use of a thermoplastic elastomer poly(ester-amide) (PEA), synthesized from fatty acid-based precursors, as an impact modifier of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA). This PEA demonstrated an effective rubber-toughening of PLLA. Moreover, beneficial effects of the PEA on the crystallization rate of PLLA were observed thus enlarging the scope of applications for the obtained blends. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.