Thermoplastic elastomer by reactive blending of poly(butylene succinate) with ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer and ethylene-1-butene rubbers

Abstract

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was melt blended with maleic anhydride–grafted ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM-MAH) and maleic anhydride–grafted ethylene-1-butene copolymer (EB-MAH) to obtain thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) containing a biodegradable polyester. PBS/EB-MAH blend showed lower modulus and excellent strain recovery compared to PBS/EPDM-MAH blend due to the smaller rubber particle size. Tensile strength of PBS/EPDM-MAH blend was found to be significantly improved by annealing because of the increased interfacial reaction between PBS matrix phase and EPDM dispersed phase and the increased cross-linking in EPDM. As the result, it was found that the annealing process is effective for the improvement of the mechanical properties of PBS/MAH-grafted rubber blends.