Green-efficient preparation for balancing toughness and strength in poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends via selective dispersion of nanosilica

To achieve toughness-strength poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends, the incorporation of nanosized inorganic fillers has emerged as the most attractive approach. However, it remains extremely difficult to manufacture high-performance PLA blends via a green-efficient strategy due to the inefficient interface enhancement and time-consuming internal mixing. In this study, we proposed and developed an eco-friendly and simple preparation route to obtain high performances of PLA blends by constructing interfacial networks. Morphology characterization demonstrated that the SiO 2 particles were localized inside the poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) droplets and at the two-phase interface, leading to the formation of a network structure and improved interface compatibility. Unlike the reported improvement of toughness or strength by inefficient graft copolymerization, such balanced properties of elongation at break (308.8 %) and tensile strength (50.3 MPa) can be achieved merely by one-step melt blending. The developed strategy not only improved the ductility but also maintained the strength of PLA blends by adding environmentally friendly inorganic fillers. This achievement offers inspiration and potential for the green-efficient production of high-performance PLA blends. • PLA/PBAT/SiO 2 blends with fine morphology were achieved. • One-step melt blending was utilized for polymer blends preparation. • SiO 2 particles were localized within PBAT droplets and at the interface. • Significant solid-like rheological behavior was observed in PLA/PBAT/SiO 2 blends. • Network structure and interface compatibility enable toughness-strength balance.