Study of Miscibility, Crystallization, and Biodegradation of Casting Films of Poly(butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) and Poly(ϵ‐Caprolactone) Blends

Abstract

This work presents the miscibility and crystallization evaluations of poly (butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) (PBSA) and poly (ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) blends by dynamic‐mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and polarized light optical microscopy (PLOM), as well as the assessment of biodegradability of pure polymers and its blends in compost soil. DMTA and PLOM results confirmed the immiscibility of the blends and pointed to the possibility of compatibility between the blend components of various compositions. Soil burial biodegradation assay demonstrates that the blends showed a higher biodegradation rate than pure polymers. Overall, results indicate that it is possible to improve mechanical properties by blending PBSA with PCL, without losing biodegradation properties.