Polylactides with "green" plasticizers: Influence of isomer composition

Synthesized polylactides (PLA) with different D-isomer contents in the polymer chain were melt-blended with a series of green plasticizers by extrusion. Mechanical and thermal properties as well as the morphology of the plasticized materials were characterized to demonstrate how the combination of PLA with different D-contents and plasticizer controls the material properties. After addition of acetyl tributyl citrate (ATC), the elongation at break for PLA with a low D-isomer content was twice as high as that for PLAs with high D-isomer contents. Similar variations in the plasticization effect on the PLAs were also observed with the other plasticizers used, glyceryl triacetate (GTA), glycerol trihexanoate (GTH) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). In order to continue with the development of renewable polymers in packaging applications, the interrelation between a plasticizer and a specific polymer needs to be understood. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.