TITLE:
Melt Rheology of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Low Density Polyethylene Polymer Blends
AUTHORS:
Kotiba Hamad, Mosab Kaseem, Fawaz Deri
KEYWORDS:
PLA, LDPE, Polymer Blends, Melt Viscosity, Flow Activation Energy
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science,
Vol.1 No.4,
October
26,
2011
ABSTRACT: In this work, rheological properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), low density polyethylene (LDPE) polymer blends were investigated in the molten state. The experiments were carried on a capillary rheometer. The effect of shear stress, temperature and blending ratio on the flow activation energy at a constant shear stress and melt viscosity of the blends are described. The results showed that the PLA/LDPE polymer blends are pseudo plastic in nature, where there viscosity decreases with increasing shear stress. Also it was found the melt viscosity of the blends decreases with increasing PLA content in the blend.