| Abstract: | The morphology and rheology of polyethylene-octene elastomer (POE)/crosslinked starch (CS) immiscible blends with various amounts of compatibilizer were experimentally examined. A graft copolymer, POE-g-MAH, acting as the compatibilizer, was used to modify the interface of the blend. The particle radius in the POE/CS 80/20 system decreased with increasing compatibilizer up to 5 wt%, beyond which the particle size slightly increased. This indicates that the interface reaches saturation when the compatibilizer content is 5 wt%, leading to reduced effectiveness of the compatibilizer. From the SEM micrographs, the compatibilized blends were found to have better interfacial adhesion between the POE and starch phase than the uncompatibilized blends. Rheological examination shows a sharp reduction of the viscoelastic modulus and complex viscosity in blends containing 10 wt% compatibilizer. When the content of compatibilizer is less than 5 wt%, the viscoelastic modulus and complex viscosity of the blends increase with increasing the content of compatibilizer. |
