Polylactide (PLA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and blends thereof have been researched in the last two decades due to their commercial availability and the upcoming requirements for using bio-based chemical building blocks. Blends consisting of PLA and PBS offer specific material properties. However, their thermodynamically favored biphasic composition often restricts their applications. Many approaches have been taken to achieve better compatibility for tailored and improved material properties. This review focuses on the modification of PLA/PBS blends in the timeframe from 2007 to early 2019. Firstly, neat polymers of PLA and PBS are introduced in respect of their origin, their chemical structure, thermal and mechanical properties. Secondly, recent studies for improving blend properties are reviewed mainly under the focus of the toughness modification using methods including simple blending, plasticization, reactive compatibilization, and copolymerization. Thirdly, we follow up by reviewing the effect of PBS addition, stereocomplexation, nucleation, and processing parameters on the crystallization of PLA. Next, the biodegradation and disintegration of PLA/PBS blends are summarized regarding the European and International Standards, influencing factors, and degradation mechanisms. Furthermore, the recycling and application potential of the blends are outlined.

Cellulose acetate (CA), an organic ester, is a biobased polymer which exhibits good mechanical properties (e.g., high Young’s modulus and tensile strength). In recent decades, there has been significant work done to verify the thermal and thermomechanical behaviors of raw and plasticized cellulose acetate. In this study, the thermomechanical properties of plasticized cellulose acetate—especially its β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation and activation energy—were investigated. The general thermal behavior was analyzed and compared with theoretical models. The study’s findings could be of special interest, due to the known β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation dependency of some polymers regarding mechanical properties—which could also be the case for cellulose acetate. However, this would require further investigation. The concentration of the plasticizers—glycerol triacetate (GTA) and triethyl citrate (TEC)—used in CA ranged from 15 to 40 wt%. DMTA measurements at varying frequencies were performed, and the activation energies of each relaxation were assessed. Increasing plasticizer content first led to a shift in β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation temperature to highervalues, then reached a maximum before declining again at higher concentrations. Furthermore, the activation energy of the β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation constantly rose with increases in plasticizer content. The trend in the β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation temperature of the plasticized CA could be interpreted as a change in the predominant phase of the overlapping β$\mathsf{\beta }$-relaxation of the CA itself and the α${\mathsf{\alpha }}^{\prime }$-relaxation of the plasticizer—which appears in the same temperature range. The plasticizer used (GTA) demonstrated a higher plasticization efficiency than TEC. The efficiencies of both plasticizers declined with increasing plasticizer content. Additionally, both plasticizers hit the saturation point (in CA) at the lowest studied concentration (15 wt%).

Elongational flow properties of polymer melts are very important for numerous polymer processing technologies such as blown film extrusion or foam extrusion. Rheotens tests were conducted to investigate the influence of plasticizer content on elongational flow properties of cellulose acetate (CA). Triethyl citrate (TEC) was used as plasticizer. Melt strength decreases whereas melt extensibility increases with increasing plasticizer content. Melt strength was further studied as a function of zero shear viscosity. The typical draw resonance of the Rheotens curve shifts to higher drawdown velocity and the amplitude of the draw resonance decreases with increasing TEC content. With respect to foam extrusion, not only are melt strength and melt extensibility important but the elongational behavior at low strain rates and the area under the Rheotens curve are also significant. Therefore, elongational viscosity as well as specific energy input were calculated and investigated with respect to plasticizer content. Preliminary foam extrusion tests of externally plasticized CA using chemical blowing agents confirm the results from rheological characterization.

Biodegradable plastics are experiencing increasing demand, in particular because of said property. This also applies to the two biopolyesters poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) covered in this study. Both are proven to be biodegradable under industrial composting conditions. This study presents the influence of mineral fillers on the disintegration process of PLA/PBS blend systems under such conditions. Chalk and talc were used as fillers in PLA/PBS (7:3) blend systems. In addition, unfilled PLA/PBS (7:3/3:7) blend systems were considered. Microscopic images, differential scanning calorimetry and tensile test measurements were used in addition to measuring mass loss of the specimen to characterize the progress of disintegration. The mineral fillers used influence the disintegration behavior of PLA/PBS blends under industrial composting conditions. In general, talc leads to lower and chalk to higher disintegration rates. This effect is in line with the measured decrease in mechanical properties and melting enthalpies. The degrees of disintegration almost linearly correlate with specimen thickness, while different surface textures showed no clear effects. Thus, we conclude that disintegration in a PLA/PBS system proceeds as a bulk erosion process. Using fillers to control the degradation process is generally regarded as possible.

For some applications of bioplastics like food packaging or medical devices, applying additives can be necessary to avoid microbial activity and hinder biofilm or fouling formation. A currently promising additive is chitosan (CS), the deacetylated form of the biogenic scaffolding material chitin. Due to its hydrophilicity, chitosan is not compatible with most of the thermoplastic bio-based polymers like poly(lactic acid) (PLA) or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). In this work, compatibilization between chitosan and two selected bio-based polyesters, PLA and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), was enhanced by grafting maleic anhydride (MAH) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), respectively, onto polymer chains using peroxide. The success of grafting was confirmed via titration methods. The effects of grafting agent and peroxide concentrations on grafting reaction and the physical and thermal properties of the functionalized polyesters were investigated. Compounding of the functionalized polyesters with different weight portions of chitosan was accomplished in a discontinuous internal mixer by in-situ functionalization, followed by blending with chitosan. The titration method, scanning electron microscopy, DSC, FTIR and mechanical characterization of the composites showed good interfacial adhesion and suggest the formation of covalent bonds between functional groups of the polyesters and chitosan, especially for the samples functionalized with GMA. The molecular weights (Mw) of the samples showed a change in the molecular weight related to the thermal degradation of the sample. The Mw of the samples grafted with MAH are lower than those functionalized with GMA. Furthermore, integration of chitosan into non-functionalized PLA polymer matrix showed a nucleating effect, while for PHBV, the increase of crystallinity with the content of chitosan was only observed for grafted PHBV.