Stretchability and Deformation Behavior of Polybutylene Adipate-co-terephthalate Blend Films

Abstract

The single use packaging is widely used in various products; ranging from food to non-food contact, from commodity to specialty purposes. Most of these materials are derived from non-renewable fossil resources. In a sustainable manner, it needs to be recyclable or compostable. Good mechanical properties together with biodegradability can make the product more recyclable. In this study, the elasticity for films consisting of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) blended with polylactic acid (PLA) (10, and 20 %wt), additive and reactive agents were evaluated. The blends were prepared via a twin-screw extruder. The film specimens were prepared by cast film extrusion. The films were then stretched with different ratios (1.5, 2 and 2.5 times) by the uniaxial machine. The mechanical properties, elasticities and surface morphology of uniaxially stretched PBAT and PBAT blend films were characterized by tensile testing and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The tensile strength of stretched films tended to improve while the elongation at break reduced at higher stretching ratios. The surface morphology of stretched films revealed that the degree of orientation was increased after higher stretching ratios. The ability to recover in the plastic deformation region of stretched films was increased at the higher stretching ratios.