ARS | Publication request: RHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF BIOBLENDS

Submitted to: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 12, 2004
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Bioblends are polymer blends in which at least one component is a biodegradable synthetic polymer. Such blends are of interest in the development of a variety of biodegradable and biocompatible materials for a variety of applications including packaging, drug delivery, and medical devices. Development of bioblends for such applications requires that the blend components be compatible. Compatibility affects a variety of blend characteristics, including their processibility. Rheological properties are one of the critical factors affecting processibility of polymer blends. In this work, the rheological properties of binary blends of polystyrene with biodegradable synthetic polyesters are investigated. The biodegradable synthetic polyesters were polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(tetramethylenemadipate-co-terephthalate (EBU). The effects of blend composition, temperature and biodegradable polyester characteristics on bioblend rheological properties are examined.