Effect of EPDM-g-MAH on Properties of PLA/EPDM Composites.

Maleic anhydride grafted ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM-g-MAH) was prepared by melt blending, and the grafting rate was 1.57%. The polylactic acid/ethylene propylene diene monomer (PLA/EPDM) composites with different EPDM-g-MAH contents were prepared by using EPDM-g-MAH as compatibilizer. The grafting amount of maleic anhydride (MAH) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical properties, microstructure and non-isothermal crystallization of PLA/EPDM/EPDM-g-MAH were characterized by universal tensile testing machine, simply supported beam impact testing machine, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the addition of EPDM-g-MAH improves the compatibility between PLA and EPDM. When the content of EPDM-g-MAH is 1.0%, elongation at break and impact strength of PLA/EPDM/ EPDM-g-MAH are 136% and 103% higher than those of PLA/EPDM, respectively. The crystallinity of system is the highest. EPDM-g-MAH can improve mechanical properties and crystallization properties of composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]