Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and Poly(lactic acid) Blends

Mechanical and morphological properties of poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends containing compatibilizers were investigated. Poly(styrene-acrylonitrile)-g-maleic anhydride) (SAN-g-MAH), poly(ethylene-co-octene) rubber-maleic anhydride (EOR-MAH) and poly(ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (EGMA) were used as compatibilizers. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strengths of ABS/PLA (80/20, wt%) blends were found to be increased when the SAN-g-MAH, EOR-MAH and EGMA were used. The maximum values for mechanical properties of the ABS/PLA (80/20) blend were observed when SAN-g-MAH was used as a compatibilizer at the concentration of 3 phr. From morphological studies of the ABS/PLA (80/20) blends, PLA droplet size was decreased by the addition of the compatibilizers used in this study. From the results of mechanical and morphological properties of the ABS/PLA (80/20) blends, SAN-g-MAH (3 phr) was found to be the most effective compatibilizer among the compatibilizers used in this study.