Miscibility, morphology, and properties of poly(butylene succinate)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) blends were prepared by melt mixing. The miscibility, morphology, non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization, and rheological and mechanical properties of PBS/PVAc blends were investigated. The blends were a partial miscible two-phase system with PVAc evenly dispersed in the PBS matrix. The incorporation of PVAc accelerated the crystallization rate of PBS due to the heterogeneous nucleation, but decreased the degree of crystallinity. The rheological properties of PBS were greatly improved by the incorporation of PVAc, because of the high viscosity of PVAc in melt state. The most intriguing result was that the stiffness, strength, and toughness could be improved simultaneously by the addition of PVAc. The modulus, breaking strength, and elongation at break of PBS containing 10 wt% PVAc increased by 3.5%, 15.7%, and 43.4%, respectively. The synergetic improvement in the crystallization, rheological, and mechanical properties may be of much importance for widening the application of PBS.