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In this work, polylactic acid/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) melt-blown nonwovens with well oil-water separation properties were processed with melt-blown technology. The effects of different contents of PBAT (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt%) on the thermal, crystalline, morphology, mechanical properties, wettability, and oil-water separation performance of the PLA/PBAT melt-blown nonwovens were thoroughly investigated. The result of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) shows that PBAT promotes the movement of the PLA molecular chain and promotes crystallinity. With increasing the blending ratio of PBAT, the degree of crystallinity (Xc) of PLA was also enhanced from 1.5 to 15.5%, respectively, which was higher than neat PLA. Furthermore, PBAT increases the toughness and hydrophobia of the PLA melt-blown nonwovens. The elongation at break of PLA/PBAT 90/10 (53.3 ± 3.7%) melt-blown nonwovens was 12.3% higher than the neat PLA (41.0 ± 2.9%). The result of the research on the influence of the oil-water separation parameters and oil absorption experiments shows that the 90/10 PLA/PBAT melt-blown nonwoven exhibits the highest hydrophobic (water contact angle is 133.2°). Meanwhile, the oil-water separation efficiency is 96%. The PLA/PBAT melt-blown nonwovens have excellent oil-water separation capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) is a biodegradable polymer with good biodegradability, high flexibility and toughness. However, its relatively low modulus, low yield strength and low heat distortion temperature limit its applicability. Herein, equimolar poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide acid) (PDLA) were blended with PBST to form stereocomplex poly(lactic acid) (sc-PLA) in situ during melt blending process and prepare a novel and environmentally friendly PBST/sc-PLA blend. Differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle X-ray diffraction confirmed that sc-PLA had formed in PBST matrix. The morphology of the cryo-fractured surfaces of PBST/sc-PLA blends showed that the sc-PLA was uniformly dispersed in PBST matrix. When the content of sc-PLA is up to 20 wt%, the PBST/sc-PLA blends showed a solid-like flow behavior at the low-frequency region. Moreover, sc-PLA could reinforce the PBST matrix. Young's modulus, yield strength and storage modulus of the PBST/sc-PLA blend increased with increasing sc-PLA content. In addition, the Vicat softening temperature and heat deflection temperatures of PBST/sc-PLA blends increased with the incorporation of sc-PLA, which enhanced the heat resistance. Compared with neat PBST, the hydrolytic degradation of the PBST/sc-PLA blends was improved. This work provides an effective way to obtain high performance PBST materials which could expand the application of PBST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]