Rheological and Mechanical Properties of scPHA/PBAT Blends: For Strain Hardening and Enhanced Thermal Stability
발표자
정지석 (부산대학교)
연구책임자
현규 (부산대학교)
공동저자
정지석 (부산대학교), 현규 (부산대학교)
초록
내용
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers limited by poor processability, thermal instability, and the lack of strain hardening. This study investigates blends of semi-crystalline PHA (scPHA, CJ Biomaterials) with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT, Ecoflex® C1200, BASF), a long-chain branched biodegradable polyester. Blends were prepared by melt mixing at 150–170 °C with compositions from scPHA/PBAT = 90/10 to 10/90. Rheological behavior was evaluated using time sweep, small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS), and uniaxial extensional viscosity measurements to assess thermal stability, linear viscoelastic behavior, and extensional deformation characteristics. Mechanical performance was examined by tensile testing. Increasing PBAT content enhanced the storage modulus and complex viscosity and led to more pronounced strain hardening, indicating improved processability and ductility of scPHA/PBAT blends for biodegradable polymer applications.