Abstract
The properties of polybutylene succinate (PBSU)/starch blends containing 5 phr of compatibilizer, HDPE-g-acrylic acid, are discussed. X-ray diffractograms indicated some disruption of the crystal structure of PBSU with the addition of starch. The melting temperature decreased slightly with increasing amounts of starch. The added starch tended to disrupt the inter-molecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the PBSU chains in the matrix. For blends containing a certain amount of starch, the thermal stability decreased due to a relatively low heat stability of starch. As for mechanical properties, a slight increase in tensile strength was observed when the compatibilizer was incorporated in the blends. Enhanced interaction was deduced from SEM observation. Surface erosion, seen in the optical micrographs, was accompanied by a visible growth of microorganisms particularly at high concentrations of starch. The rate of biodegradation was assessed based on the decrease in tensile strength during 4 weeks of soil burial. The weight loss increased with increasing treatment times and with starch content during extended soil burial.