High-performance and durable fibrous poly(glycolic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends by reactive compatibilization and solid-state drawing.

• Strength, toughness and hydrolysis resistance of fibrous PGA/PBAT are simultaneously improved. • Enhanced chain entanglement restricts the chain relaxation during drawing process. • Poor chain mobility results in more extended chains being transformed into rigid amorphous fraction. The application of poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) is limited by its inherent brittleness and easy to hydrolysis. Herein, we demonstrate an effective strategy to make fibrous PGA/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends with high strength, toughness and better hydrolysis resistance by reactive compatibilization and subsequent solid-state drawing. The enhanced chain entanglement due to the compatibilization restricts the chain relaxation during drawing process, leading to a predominance of stress-induced orientation. Meanwhile, it also facilitates the immobilization and transformation of extended chains into rigid amorphous fraction (RAF). As a consequence, the combination of strong interfacial bonding, high orientation and abundant RAF results in superior comprehensive properties of the fibrous PGA/PBAT blends, e.g., the drawn compatibilized PGA/PBAT exhibit a tensile strength as high as 700 MPa and a tensile toughness of 385 MJ/m3. Moreover, the tensile strength retention of the drawn compatibilized PGA/PBAT is 20 % higher than uncompatibilized sample after hydrolysis for 5 days. Therefore, this work provides a feasible strategy to make robust and durable fibrous PGA-based blends, which may broaden the application range of PGA. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]