Isothermal crystallization kinetics of talc-filled poly(lactic acid) and poly(butylene succinate) blends

Blends comprising poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and talc were prepared via a solution casting method. The weight ratios of PLA to PBS (PLA/PBS) blends were 80:20 and 60:40, whereas the talc content was varied from 0 to 5.0 parts per hundred resin (phr). The crystallization halftime (t _1/2) of PLA/PBS (80:20) at 80 °C was higher than those of neat PLA, PBS, and PLA/PBS (60:40); this is due to its high PLA content. The t _1/2 value for neat PLA at 90 °C decreased when the talc content was increased, whereas the value for neat PBS gradually increased. These phenomena can be seen more clearly at 95 and 100 °C. This means that talc not only promotes PLA crystallization but also acts as a crystallization inhibitor for PBS. The isothermal crystallization kinetics and spherulitic morphology of these samples were investigated. The extent of talc loading showed a strong dependence on the isothermal crystallization rate and the extent of PLA crystallinity, whereas the contrary effect was observed for PBS due to the growth of large crystals. This suggests that talc not only promotes the crystallization of PLA but also inhibits the crystallization of PBS. The results are in agreement with the crystallization halftime and polarized optical microscopy analysis.