A study on the thermal and mechanical properties of poly (butylene succinate)/thermoplastic starch binary blends

Starch has been considered as an attractive biopolymer because of its low cost, low density, and biodegradability. However, its poor compatibility with other polymers is drawback, and many researches were performed to overcome this in the polymer blends. Gelatinization, a technique to enhance miscibility among polymers, has been intensively studied due to its better processability than starch. Poly (Butylene Succinate) (PBS) is one of the promising biodegradable polymers due to its excellent mechanical properties and processability, but the softness, flexibility, and relatively high cost also give a limitation for various industrial applications. Blending with low-price resins become an alternative approach to resolve those problems to improve mutual physical properties. Recently, biopolymers derived from renewable resources have received much attention to manufacture the biodegradable blends. This study was performed to examine in depth the effect of starch and gelatinized starch on the physical and mechanical properties of PBS/ starch binary blends. It was confirmed that PBS/TPS blends were immiscible having poor compatibility. 30 phr of glycerol had relatively more gelatinization effect, and the mechanical property of PBS/TPS blend became poor as the content of TPS increased. Furthermore, PBS/GTPS blends were better than PBS/EGTPS in the mechanical property due to plasticization degree.