Abstract: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and PLA/PBS /compatibilizer (Cp) blends were prepared by a meltmixing method, and their foam samples were produced through batch foaming. Crystallization behavior, morphology, rheological performance and foaming behavior of the blends were investigated. The results indicated that the addition of PBS had little imfluence on cooling crystallization of PLA and resulted in a slight improvement in the melt elasticity. The variation of PBS content also had little impact on bubble morphology of PLA/PBS blends. As for the PLA/PBS/Cp blends, the introduction of Cp led to a significant improvement in the crystallization behavior of PLA. The melt elasticity was also improved significantly with increasing Cp content. This suggested that the presence of Cp could effectively improve the compatibility between PLA and PBS and the bubble morphology of PLA/PBS/Cp blends.

Key words: poly(lactic acid), poly(butylene succinate), crystallization property, rheological behavior, foaming behavior