Effect of LTI Blending on Fracture Properties of PLA/PCL Polymer Blend

Abstract

Lysine triisocyanate (LTI) was used to blends of poly(lactide) (PLA) with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to improve the immiscibility of the two different kinds of biodegradable polymers. Fracture properties such as the J-integral at initiation, J_in, and the total fracture energy, J_f, of PLA/PCL and PLA/PCL/LTI were evaluated, and compared the results to assess the effectiveness of LTI additive on improvement of the fracture properties. Fracture surfaces were also examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to characterize fracture mechanism. The results of the SEM observation exhibited that the size of PCL spherulites became smaller by adding LTI, and therefore void formation was inhibited, resulting in improvement of the fracture properties.