Abstract: Ester-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer of generation 3.5(G3.5) and poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) were blended in chloroform and casted into film. Properties of the film were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing microscope, tensile tester, and right angle tearing tester. The results indicated that with the addition of PAMAM dendrimer, the glass transition temperature of the film became more distinct, indicating a greater toughness. The crystallinity of the PHBV/PAMAM film was much lower than that of neat PHBV (0~24.02 % vs 61.70 %). Moreover, the addition of PAMAM dendrimer considerably increased the tangential breaking strength of PHBV from 8.90 kN/m to 22.10 kN/m. The optimal toughening effect was observed with a PAMAM dendrimer content of 2.0 phr.

Key words: ester-terminated poly（amidoamine）, poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate), toughening