Effects of reactive blending temperature on impact toughness of poly(lactic acid) ternary blends

Reactive blending of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with an ethylene/n-butyl acrylate/glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer elastomer (EBA-GMA) and a zinc ionomer of ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer (EMAA-Zn) was performed at various temperatures using a twin screw extruder. Notched Izod impact strength, dynamic mechanical properties and morphological structure of the resulting blends were studied. A sharp brittle–ductile transition (BDT) of the resulting blends occurred when the blending temperature increased to 195∼210 °C and the EBA-GMA/EMAA-Zn ratio was equal to or large than 1. The influences of blending temperature on interfacial compatibilization and croslinking of the elastomer were also studied. Supertough PLA ternary blends were achieved by this reactive approach.