Long chain branched structures of polylactic acid through reactive extrusion with styrene-acrylic copolymers bearing epoxy functional groups

The influence and development of structural modifications through a reactive process between polylactic acid (PLA) and an epoxy-functional copolymer were investigated, resulting in complex long chain branching (LCB) structures in the copolymer architecture. Structural modifications result in improvements in properties of PLA such as the glass transition temperature (T-g) which increases up to 6 degrees C and the percentage of crystallization (chi(c)) that increases up to 324%. Some of these improvements were reflected in thermal stability increases up to 25 degrees C. The formation of complex structures of the processed materials were assessed by calorimetric, thermogravimetric and rheological studies.