Role of Plasticizers on PHB/bio-TPE Blends Compatibilized by Reactive Extrusion.

Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biopolymer biologically synthesized by controlled bacterial fermentation from a wide variety of microorganisms. PHB is proposed as a potential green alternative to commonly used plastics in packaging, due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, if PHB is to replace commodities, it has some limitations regarding its thermo-mechanical performance to overcome.