Foam Processing of Incompatible Binary Biodegradable Polymer Blends of PBAT and TPS Using Twin-Screw Extruder

초록

Biodegradable polymer foam was prepared from poly(butylene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate)/Thermoplastic starch (PBAT/TPS) blend in context of enhancing the biodegradability. The PBAT/TPS foams were carried out via twin-screw extruder process with an introduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) as environmentally friendly blowing agent. The twin-screw extruder was modified to insert injection CO2 gas into the molten polymer blend. The processing parameters are optimized based on the well characterized morphology and thermal properties of PBAT/TPS blends and diffusion properties of CO2 in molten polymer blend. In addition, cell morphology and cell structure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which results shown closed-cell structure. This study highlights are on the potential of foam process with an effective and environmentally friendly. Therefore, the excellent cellular and overall performance of PBAT/TPS foams were promoted for various applications.