Thermal degradation of polylactic acid (PLA)/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) blends: A systematic review

•The state of the art in thermal degradation mechanism of PLA/PHB blends is discussed.•The impact of different fillers and additives on the thermal stability of PLA/PHB blends is reviewed.•The influence of the processing on the thermal stability of PLA/PHB blends is evaluated.•The mechanisms underly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Polymer degradation and stability Vol. 201; p. 109995
Main Authors:	Kervran, Mael, Vagner, Christelle, Cochez, Marianne, Ponçot, Marc, Saeb, Mohammad Reza, Vahabi, Henri
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2022
Subjects:	Polyhydroxybutyrate Polylactic acid Polymer blends Thermal degradation Thermogravimetric analysis Polymer blends Thermogravimetric analysis Polyhydroxybutyrate Polylactic acid Thermal degradation
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Summary:	•The state of the art in thermal degradation mechanism of PLA/PHB blends is discussed.•The impact of different fillers and additives on the thermal stability of PLA/PHB blends is reviewed.•The influence of the processing on the thermal stability of PLA/PHB blends is evaluated.•The mechanisms underlying the degradation for PLA and PHB are described and compared. Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are two biopolyesters obtained from renewable resources like corn or sugar under bacterial fermentation. PLA is the most widely used biopolymer in diverse applications. Addition of PHB to PLA can improves the crystallinity of PLA, and thereby its mechanical strength. However, both PLA and PHB suffer from poor thermal stability, which limits their potential industrial application. The purpose of this review is to explain thermal decomposition behavior and mechanism of these polymers and systematically categorize available reports on thermal degradation of the neat PLA and PHB, and also as-processed PLA/PHB blends along with PLA/PHB blends modified/reinforced with plasticizers, additives or crosslinkers. The characteristic temperatures (Tonset, and peak temperature or Tmax) of PLA and PHB are taken as the key parameters governing thermal degradation behavior of PLA/PHB blends and composites with variable composition. From this survey we can conclude that the thermal stability of PLA in PLA/PHB blend is lower than the neat PLA, contrary to the PHB with higher thermal stability in PLA/PHB blend. Therefore, thermal degradation mechanism of PLA/PHB blends must be taken as a complex physico-chemical phenomenon. Moreover, the selection of additive severely affects the thermal stability of PLA/PHB blends. Processing method and localization of additive in different phases or at the interface of the phases are factors determining the ultimate thermal stability of blend.
ISSN:	0141-3910 1873-2321
DOI:	10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2022.109995