Effect of Compatibilizer on PLA/PP Blend for Injection Molding

Polymer blends of poly(lactic acid) and polypropylene were prepared for the application to injection molding products. Due to the phase separation of PLA and PP, the addition of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH) as a compatibilizer was studied. The polymer blends were comprised of PLA:PP ratios 80:20 and 20:80 with addition of 1, 3 and 5 wt% of PP-g-MAH. The product samples were processed dry blend with injection molding process and the products were subjected to thermal, mechanical properties and morphology analysis. The thermal analysis confirmed that addition of PP-g-MAH has no effect on crystalline melting temperature of the polymer components as well as no effect on the mechanical properties. The morphology study of the polymer blends confirmed the adhesion of PLA and PP by assistance of PP-g-MAH. The addition of more amount of PP-g-MAH resulted in high polarity of a compatibilizer and decreased the compatibility with PLA. The tensile strength of polymer blends increased with increasing amounts of PLA. The research results confirmed the application of polymer blend system to injection molding process.