The Crystallization Behavior of L-Poly(lactic acid)/Polypropylene Blends: The Acceleration for Both L-Poly(lactic acid) and Polypropylene

Abstract

For a polymer/polymer dismissible blend with two crystallizable components, the crystallization behavior of different components and the reciprocal influences between different crystals are interesting and important, but did not investigate in detail. In this study, the L-poly(lactic acid)/polypropylene (PLLA/PP) blends with different weight ratios were prepared by melt mixing and the crystallization behavior of the blends were investigated. Results showed that the crystalline structures of PLLA and PP were not altered by the composition. For the crystallization of PLLA, both the diffusion of chain segments and crystallization rate were enhanced under the existence of PP crystals. For the crystallization of PP, its crystallization rate was depressed under the existence of amorphous PLLA molecular chains. When the PP crystallized from the existence of PLLA crystals, although the diffusion rate of PP was reduced by PLLA crystals, the nucleation positions were obviously enhanced, which accelerated the formation of PP crystals. This investigation would supply more basic data for the application of PLLA/PP blend.