Abstract
Phase morphology of blends of biodegradable polymers, PLA and PCL, was controlled by introducing an additive, LTI, to improve the mechanical properties of the mixture. Fracture properties such as the J-integral at initiation Jin, and the total fracture energy Jf, of PLA/PCL blends with different LTI contents were evaluated, and were compared to assess the effect of LTI content on these properties. Both Jin and Jf values were dramatically improved by LTI addition. Fracture surfaces were also examined using SEM to characterize the effect of LTI addition on the fracture mechanism. It was confirmed that the size of PCL spherulites became smaller due to the activation of LTI as a surface-active agent. As a result, void formation was inhibited, and plastic deformation to be larger, resulting the improvement of fracture properties.
