Mechanical properties and morphology of the modified HDPE/starch reactive blend

We investigated the effect of reactive blending on the mechanical propertie s and morphology of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/plasticized starch ble nds. HDPE was chemically modified to enhance the compatibility with the pla sticized starch. The modified HDPE, HDPE-g-glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), was synthesized by melt reaction of HDPE in the presence of dicumyl peroxide ( DCP). A finer dispersion of starch in the HDPE matrix was achieved compared to that in the unmodified HDPE. The amount of GMA groups in the modified H DPE enhanced the miscibility of HDPE/starch blends. We also observed that t he amount of glycerin improves the mechanical properties of blends. (C) 200 1 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.