1-Butyl-3-methylimidazole chloride ([BMIM]Cl) plasticized starch/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blends containing inorganic salts with different cations were prepared by a Haake mixer. The compatibility, thermal behaviors including crystallinity, crystallization temperature and melting temperature, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of these blends were systematically investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the inorganic salts could interact strongly with [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch/PBS blends to improve their mechanical properties, while the thermal stability of the [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch/PBS blends was simultaneously reduced. The SEM results suggested that the compatibility of [BMIM]Cl plasticized starch and PBS was significantly improved with increasing inorganic salt content. Furthermore, by incorporating inorganic salts, the melting enthalpy (ΔH_m), crystallinity (X_c), and cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) of the blends were decreased.

1-butyl-3-methylimidazole chloride ((BMIM) Cl) modified starch/poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) blends with different anions of inorganic salts were prepared by HAAKE mixer. The compatibility and thermal behaviors including crystallinity, crystallization and melting temperature, thermal stability and mechanical properties were systematically investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that inorganic salts can produce a strong interaction with starch/PBS blends, which can improve the mechanical properties of starch/PBS blends, enhance the mechanical strength and elongation at break of starch/PBS blends, meanwhile, the thermal stability of starch/PBS blends decreased. The SEM images reveal that the compatibility of starch/PBS become better with the increase of inorganic salts. The melting and crystallization absorption peaks in the DSC curves show that the melting enthalpy (ΔH_m), crystallinity (X_c), and crystallization temperature (T_c) of the blends decrease and the cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) increase when inorganic salts is added. Moreover, inorganic salts with smaller anionic radius have much better effects on the starch/PBS blends plasticized with ((BMIM)Cl).

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) holds significant promise as an option in the field of packaging materials due to its biodegradability and antibacterial properties. Therefore, it is vital for developing packaging materials while improving their heat resistance, and transparency is essential for guaranteeing its application. Using a self-assembled nucleating agent with hydrogen bonding and thermodynamically compatible transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), this study fabricated PLA micro-crystals with an interface blurred grain. Furthermore, the crystalline structure-property relationship was investigated in different isothermal crystallization conditions; it was possible to achieve higher crystallinity while maintaining the transparency of PLA/10 wt% PMMA/0.3 wt% nucleating agent blends. Compared to other temperatures, the crystallization rate of PLA blends under annealing conditions at 90 °C was higher when induced by three different nucleating agents. Particularly, in the presence of the TC-328 nucleating agent, the system exhibited a crystallinity of 32%, the smallest grain size, and an increased Tg of 61.3 °C, as well as an elevated heat deformation temperature (HDT) from 54.13 °C to 63.2 °C. The smaller nucleating agents with high surface energy enhanced the interaction between the PLA and PMMA, enhancing the PLA/PMMA tensile strength and HDT. These findings may pave the way for designing novel blends for packaging or heat-resistant devices.