Role of In situ thermal‐reduced graphene oxide on the morphology and properties of biodegradable poly(Lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

In this article, poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate)/reduced graphene oxide (PLA/PBS/RGO) nanocomposites were first prepared by the in situ thermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) during the processing, and the influence of RGO on the morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of biodegradable PLA/PBS blends were investigated. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the GO was successfully in situ thermal reduced to RGO. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA) revealed that the adding of RGO enhanced the compatibility of PLA and PBS. DMA also indicated that higher storage modulus values were observed for PLA/PBS/RGO composites. The tensile strength and impact strength of the PLA/PBS/RGO composites increased with RGO content. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3057–3065, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers