Preparation and Properties of Poly(propylene carbonate)-Polylactic Acid Melt Blend Spun Fibers

The blend fibers of poly(propylene carbonate) and polylactic acid(PPC-PLA) with ethylene-maleic anhydride copolymer(ZeMac) as a reactive compatibilizer are prepared by melt spinning. The molecular structure, thermal stability, miscibility and mechanical properties of the blend fibers are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and fiber strength and elongation tester. The results show that the mechanical properties of PPC can be greatly improved by introduction of PLA and the thermal stability of PPC as well as the compatibility of the blends can be effectively improved by adding a small amount of ZeMac. When the components of PPC-PLA and PPC-PLA-ZeMac are 70/30 and 70/30/0.7, their tensile strength are 11.23 MPa and 20.83 MPa which are 6.5 and 12.1 times respectively compared with PPC fiber, while maintaining high elongation at break. This study offers a possibility of industrial application to biodegradable PPC melt blend fibers.