Strikingly Toughening Polylactide by Using Novel Core-shell Starch-based Nanoparticles with Double Polymer Shells

Abstract In this work, core–shell starch nanoparticle with double polymer shells (CSS-D) was fabricated via a soap-free emulsion polymerization method and then melt-blended with PLA. With addition of 15 wt% CSS-D, the elongation at break of PLA/CSS-D reached to 361%, which was 46 times that of PLA. The calculated toughness of PLA/CSS-D blends was as high as 130.71 MJ/m3, which was 49 times that of neat PLA. These results establish a strategy for PLA composites applications.