Effect of ionic liquid 1-buyl-3-methylimidazolium halide on the structure and tensile property of PBS/corn starch blends.

As a promising biodegradable resin, poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) is often blended with starch to reduce the cost. In this paper, 1-buyl-3-methylimidazolium halide pre-plasticized corn starch (CS) was blended with PBS to prepare PBS/corn starch blend material modified by ionic liquid (PBS/CS-IL). Ionic liquid (IL) acted as plasticizer and compatibilizer, and the effects of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium halide with different halogen anion on PBS/Starch blends were explored. The effects of IL on the structure and tensile property of PBS/Starch blends were evaluated by FTIR, SEM, DSC, TGA and XRD, respectively. Test results showed that the addition of IL significantly reduced the crystallinity of PBS/Starch blends, and the size of starch particles in the PBS matrix was also effectively reduced. IL also acted as a compatibilizer of starch and PBS, and induced the morphology of the blends to change from "sea-island" structure to homogeneous phase. The results of the tensile test showed that compared with the PBS/Starch blend without IL, the elongation at break of PBS/CS-IL increased from 22% to 93%. This study provided a simple and feasible method for the preparation of low-cost PBS bio-composite materials, and provided theoretical support for future industrial production.