Preparation of in-situ compatibilized PLA/starch composites and its non-isothermal pyrolysis kinetics

Abstract

A fully degradable PLA/starch composite was prepared by one-step in-situ compatibilization method. The effects of raw materials ratio and maleic anhydride （MAH） dosage were studied by thermogravimetric analyzer (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability and microstructure of the composites were investigated, and the non-isothermal thermal decomposition kinetics of the composites were discussed. The DTG results show that there are two distinct maximum decomposition rate peaks in the unmodified composites. After the MAH is added, the maximum decomposition rate peaks of the composites are close to each other. In addition, as the MAH dosage increases, the maximum rate of decomposition peak gradually shifts to a lower temperature. The SEM results show that the compatibility of the composites is improved after the addition of MAH. And both the Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods are well described for the non-isothermal thermal decomposition kinetics of PLA and PLA/starch composites.