ABSTRACT Polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS), and their blends, have gained considerable attention as eco‐friendly alternatives for packaging and transportation applications. PLA is recognized for its high strength but suffers from low ductility, whereas PBS offers excellent ductility but relatively low strength. To overcome these limitations, PLA/PBS blends were prepared with varying content of PLA from 100% to 20%. Two compositions, namely PLA80% PBS20% (which maintained similar strength while offering improved ductility) and PLA40% PBS60% (which maintained comparable ductility with increased strength), were found to be optimal. To further improve interfacial compatibility, these optimized blends were grafted with 6% bio‐based itaconic acid (IA) in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a radical initiator (0.5% and 1%). Remarkably, PLA/PBS blends grafted with 6% IA and 0.5% DCP showed significant improvements in both mechanical and thermal properties, confirming the effective role of IA in enhancing miscibility. However, increasing the initiator concentration to 1% led to a deterioration of properties, which is attributed to chain scission induced by excess radicals. Overall, the current analysis highlights the potential of bio‐derived IA as a sustainable reactive compatibilizer for tailoring the strength–ductility balance of PLA/PBS blends, thereby opening opportunities for the development of high‐performance, eco‐friendly polymeric materials.
Kesarwani et al. (Thu,) studied this question.