Polylactide/poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)/rare earth complexes as biodegradable light conversion agricultural films

Rare earth europium(III) complex with α‐thenoyltrifluoroacetone and triphenylphosphine oxide (Eu (TTA)₃(TPPO)₂, shortened as EuTT) was synthesized in this paper, then blended with polylactide (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) to prepare the biodegradable agricultural films. Through the optical performance, mechanical properties, and other research, the results showed that the rare earth complex could convert the sun's ultraviolet light to red light when doped polymer. Moreover, the relative intensity ratio of ⁵D₀/⁷F₂ to ⁵D₀/⁷F₁ of PLA/PBAT/EuTT film could reach 3.79, which implied that the film had strong fluorescence intensity and high color purity. The highest tensile strength of the film could reach 36.7/25.2 MPa, and the elongation at break was 462.8/483.0% in the machine and in the transverse direction when the added amount of Eu (TTA)₃(TPPO)₂ was 0.1 wt%. The tensile strength of the film was 33.3/20.1 MPa, and the elongation at break could reach 535.8/413.6% when the added amount of Eu (TTA)₃(TPPO)₂ was increased up to 0.3 wt%. Gel permeation chromatography showed that the Eu (TTA)₃(TPPO)₂ could cause depolymerization of polylactide, resulting in a decrease in the molecular weight of PLA. Furthermore, the crystallization ability of PLA was also improved. In this paper, the biodegradable films exhibited excellent ultraviolet light conversion ability and mechanical properties.     

Elevated ductility,optical, and air barrier properties of poly (butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) bio‐based films via novel thermoplastic starch feature

It is important to develop high performances biodegradable polymers to eliminate the “white pollution” evoked by petroleum‐based polymer. Thermoplastic starch (TPS) with nano‐ellipse configuration was fabricated to reinforce the performances of poly (butylene adipate co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) biocomposites. Effects of tartaric acid (TA) (0.5% wt) on the structure of TPS and compatibility for PBAT were evaluated by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), viscosity and rheological measurement, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. They revealed that TA reduced the molecular weight of starch and shear viscosity of TPS were beneficial for TPS dispersing in PBAT matrix with 184‐nm averaged diameter. PBAT/TPS‐TA (70:30 wt%) biocomposite films were blew with different blow‐up ratio. The morphology of films presented that nano‐TPS‐TA wrapped in the PBAT matrix and deformed from ball to capsule feature without agglomeration. Compared with those of PBAT film, the increment in elongation at break of PBAT/TPS‐TA film was 100%. The air permeability and UV‐VIS transmittance of PBAT/TPS‐TA films decreased from 6.92 × 10^?9 to 3.72 × 10^?9 cm³·cm·cm^?2 s^?1 Pa^?1 and 47.6% to 23.5%, respectively. This study proposed a facile approach to fabricate low‐cost PBAT films with significant improved mechanical, optical, and air barrier properties for commercial application. Mechanism for nanoparticles of TPS‐TA motivated the elevated performances was proposed, synchronously.     

TiO2 nanoparticles/poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) bionanocomposite films for packaging applications

In this present study, biodegradable PBAT nanocomposites containing different weight percentages (1, 3, 5, 7, and 10% w/w) of TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by using solvent casting technique, chloroform as a solvent. The microstructure and morphology of the as‐synthesized poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/TiO₂ nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscope. The thermal degradation of PBAT composites was studied by using thermogravimetric analysis. The mechanical strength of the films was improved by increasing TiO₂ concentration. Tensile strength increased from 32.60 to 63.26 MPa, respectively. Barrier properties of the PBAT/TiO₂ nanocomposites were investigated by using an oxygen permeability tester. The oxygen permeability (oxygen transmission rate) decreased with increasing the TiO₂ nanoparticle concentrations. The PBAT/TiO₂ nanocomposite films showed profound antimicrobial activity against both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative foodborne pathogenic bacteria, namely, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, to understand to the zone of inhibition. These results indicated that filler–polymer interaction is important and the role of the TiO₂ as a reinforcement in the nanocomposites was evident. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of compatibility,mechanical, thermal and dielectric properties of poly(lactic acid) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends and their composites with porous clay heterostructures from mixed surfactant systems

In this study, nanocomposite poly(lactic acid) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) blends were prepared through polymer blending in the presence of multi-functional epoxy as a compatibilizer that could react with epoxy group and terminated end group of two phases to increase interfacial adhesion between PLA and PBAT and improve the toughness of PLA. The effects of porous clay heterostructure from mixed CTAB:CTAC surfactant in the mole ratio of 1:2 (B1C2-PCH) were also investigated. The elongation at break of the blends reached 38%, which was eight times that of neat PLA. The cryo-fractured surface demonstrated the interfacial adhesion caused by the interaction of the epoxy group of the reactive compatibilizer with the terminal carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of PLA and PBAT. Moreover, PBAT reduced the crystallization rate and percent crystallinity of the PLA matrix and further decreased when compatibilizer was used. Alternatively, B1C2-PCH accelerated the heterogeneous nucleation and crystallization of the nanocomposite films. After adding small amount of B1C2-PCH, the nanocomposite films demonstrated excellent dielectric properties. Therefore, the improvement of PLA/PBAT nanocomposite blends are capable to be further developed as polymeric capacitor films.     

Characterization of an antimicrobial poly(lactic acid) film prepared with poly(ε‐caprolactone) and thymol for active packaging

Antimicrobial active films based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were prepared with poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and thymol (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) by solvent casting methods. The films were characterized by thermal, structural, mechanical, gas barrier, and antimicrobial properties. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the surface of film became rougher with certain porosity when thymol was incorporated into the PLA/PCL blends. Thymol acted as plasticizers, which reduce the intermolecular forces of polymer chains, thus improving the flexibility and extensibility of the films. The addition of PCL into the pure PLA film decreased the glass transition temperature of the films. The presence of thymol decreased the crystallinity of PLA phase, but did not affect the thermal stability of films. Water vapor barrier properties of films slightly decreased with the increase of thymol loading. The antimicrobial properties of thymol containing films showed a significant activity against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The results indicated the potential of PLA/PCL/thymol composites for applications in antimicrobial packaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of immobilization of polysaccharides on the biocompatibility of poly(butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) films

Aiming to improve the hydrophilicity, antibacterial activity, cytocompatibility, and hemocompatibility of poly(butyleneadipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) films, PBAT films were treated with ozone, grafted with chitosan (CS), and followed by covalent immobilization of either heparin (HEP) or hyaluronic acid (HA). The surface graft density of modified PBAT films was detected by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dyeing. The surface roughness of PBAT films was measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM). After immobilizing CS, PBAT films acquired antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) and human plasma fibrinogen (HPF) on PBAT–CS–HEP and PBAT–CS–HA films was lower compared to that of native PBAT. Moreover, HEP immobilization could effectively reduce platelet adhesion and prolong the blood coagulation time, thereby improving the blood compatibility of PBAT. In addition, the growth of L929 fibroblasts was improved for HEP or HA immobilized PBAT, suggesting this surface modification was non‐cytotoxic. Furthermore, PBAT–CS–HEP and PBAT–CS–HA exhibited higher cell proliferation than native PBAT. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Antimicrobial,mechanical, barrier,and thermal properties of bio‐based poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/Ag2O nanocomposite films for packaging application

Bio‐based nanocomposites of poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/silver oxide (Ag₂O) were prepared by the composite film casting method using chloroform as the solvent. The prepared Ag₂O at different ratios (1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt%) is incorporated in the PBAT. The PBAT nanocomposite films were subjected to structural, thermal, mechanical, barrier, and antimicrobial properties. The electron micrographs indicated uniform distribution of Ag₂O in the PBAT matrix. However, the images indicated agglomeration of Ag₂O particles at 10 wt% loading. The thermal stability of the nanocomposite films increased with Ag₂O content. The tensile strength and elongation of the composite films were found to be higher than those of PBAT and increased with Ag₂O content up to 7 wt%. The PBAT‐based nanocomposite films showed the lower oxygen and water vapor permeability when compared to the PBAT film. Antimicrobial studies were performed against two food pathogenic bacteria, namely, Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus.     

Surface‐confined photopolymerization of single‐ and mixed‐monomer systems to tailor the wettability of poly(L‐lactide) film

The major objective of this research was to modify the surface characteristics of poly(L ‐lactide) (PLA) by grafting a combination of hydrophilic polymers to produce a continuum of hydrophilicity. The PLA film was solvent cast, and the film surfaces were activated by ultra violet (UV) irradiation. A single monomer or combination of two monomers, selected from vinyl acetate (VAc), acrylic acid (AA), and acrylamide (AAm), were then grafted to the PLA film surface using a UV induced photopolymerization process. The film surfaces resulting from each reaction step were analyzed using ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy and contact angle goniometry. Results showed that AAm dominated the hydrophilicity of the film surface when copolymerized with VAc or AA, while the water contact angles for PLA films grafted with poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐acrylic acid) varied more gradually with feed composition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6534‐6543, 2006     

Synthesis and Characterization of Poly（butylene adipate-co-terephthalate） Catalyzed by Rare Earth Stearates

Rare earth （Nd, Y, La, Dy） stearates have been synthesized and used as single component catalysts for the polycondensation of dimethyl terephthalate, adipic acid and 1,4-butanediol for the first time preparing biodegradable poly（butylene adipate-co-terephthalate） （PBAT） with high molecular weight, The microstructures of PBAT were characterized by ^1H NMR spectra. The PBAT exhibits good mechanical properties such as high tensile strength （ca. 20 MPa） and long break elongation （〉700%）.     

ZnO/PBAT nanocomposite films: Investigation on the mechanical and biological activity for food packaging

Packaging of foods in high barrier materials is essential to attain food safety. Nanocomposite technology is leading in search of the earlier said kind of packaging materials. The role of zinc oxide (ZnO) loadings on poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) structure were investigated, in addition to that packaging properties such as barrier, thermal, and mechanical properties were studied. Antimicrobial films are developed based on PBAT and ZnO nanoparticles. The nanocomposites exhibits a significant increase in the mechanical and thermal stability. The resulting PBAT/ZnO nanofilms show superior antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of biodegradation on crystallization of poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)

The biodegradation of aromatic‐aliphatic biodegradable polyester poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) was studied under mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant was utilized as an inoculum. Non‐isothermal crystallization kinetics of PBAT before and after biodegradation was explored by differential scanning calorimetry. Under mesophilic anaerobic conditions (37°C), the biodegradation after 126 days was only 2.2%, molecular weight changed from 93 000 to 25 500 g/mol, and the crystallization behavior was changed only slightly. However, biodegradation under thermophilic anaerobic conditions (55°C) caused much bigger changes: biodegradation according to biogas production reached after 126 days 8.3%, molecular weight changed from 93 000 to 9430 g/mol, and the crystallization behavior was changed significantly. While T_m increased only slightly, T_c on the other hand increased significantly for the sample after biodegradation at 55°C. Also, the crystallization rate was slower (particularly at lower cooling rates), but crystallinity was slightly higher. The diffraction pattern was observed by X‐ray diffraction.     

Water‐disintegrative and biodegradable blends containing poly(L‐lactic acid) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)

In this study, novel biodegradable materials were successfully generated, which have excellent mechanical properties in air during usage and storage, but whose structure easily disintegrates when immersed in water. The materials were prepared by melt blending poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) with a small amount of oligomeric poly(aspartic acid‐co‐lactide) (PAL) as a degradation accelerator. The degradation behavior of the blends was investigated by immersing the blend films in phosphate‐buffered saline (pH = 7.3) at 40 °C. It was shown that the PAL content and composition significantly affected morphology, mechanical properties, and hydrolysis rate of the blends. It was observed that the blends containing PAL with higher molar ratios of L ‐lactyl [LA]/[Asp] had smaller PBAT domain size, showing better mechanical properties when compared with those containing PAL with lower molar ratios of [LA]/[Asp]. The degradation rates of both PLLA and PBAT components in the ternary blends simultaneously became higher for the blends containing PAL with higher molar ratios of [LA]/[Asp]. It was confirmed that the PLLA component and its decomposed materials efficiently catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the PBAT component, but by contrast that the PBAT component and its decomposed materials do not catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the PLLA component in the blends. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Biodegradable graphene oxide nanosheets/poly-(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) nanocomposite film with enhanced gas and water vapor barrier properties

Poly-(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) has captured significant interest by dint of its biodegradability, superb ductility, promising processing properties and good final properties, but the insufficient barrier performance limits its application, especially in packaging field. In the present work, improved barrier properties of PBAT films were obtained by introducing an extremely low amount of graphene oxide nanosheets (GONS). O₂ and water vapor permeability coefficients were decreased by more than 70% and 36% at the GONS loading of 0.35 vol%, respectively. The enhanced barrier performance was ascribed to the outstanding impermeability and well dispersion of GONS as well as the strong interfacial adhesion between GONS and PBAT matrix. Furthermore, tensile strength and Young's modulus of GONS/PBAT nanocomposite rise up to 27.8 MPa and 72.2 MPa from 24.6 MPa to 58.5 MPa of neat PBAT, respectively, showing a prominent increase of mechanical properties compared to neat PBAT. The incorporation of GONS also endowed PBAT matrix with an excellent thermal stability. These findings provide a significant guidance for fabricating high barrier films on a large scale.     

Morphology and properties of biodegradable poly (lactic acid)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends with different viscosity ratio

Phase morphology exerts a tremendous influence on the properties of polymer blends. The development of the blend morphology depends not only on the intrinsic structure of the component polymers but also on extrinsic factors such as viscosity ratio, shearing force and temperature in the melt processing. In this study, various poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) materials with different melt viscosity were prepared, and then poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/PBAT blends with different viscosity ratio were prepared in a counter-rotating twin-screw extruder under constant processing conditions. The influence of viscosity ratio on the morphology, mechanical, thermal and rheological properties of PLA/PBAT (70/30 w/w) blends was investigated. The experimental results showed that the morphology and properties of PLA/PBAT blends strongly depended on the viscosity ratio. Finer size PBAT phase were observed for viscosity ratio less than 1 (λ < 1) compared to samples with λ > 1. It was found that the interfacial tensions of PLA and PBAT were significantly different when the viscosity ratio was changed, the lowest interfacial tensions (0.12 mN/m) was obtained when the viscosity was 0.77. Additionally, the maximal tensile strength in PLA/PBAT blends were obtained when the viscosity ratio was 0.44, while the maximal impact properties were obtained when the viscosity ratio was 1.95.     

Enhancing crystallization behavior for optimized performances of poly(TMC‐b‐(LLA‐ran‐GA)) by PDLA/PLLA stereocomplex crystallization

The blends of poly(1,3‐trimethylene carbonate‐b‐(l ‐lactide‐ran‐glycolide)) (PTLG) with poly(d ‐lactide) (PDLA) were prepared via solution‐casting method using CH₂Cl₂ as solvent. The poly(l ‐lactide) (PLLA) segments of PTLG with PDLA chain constructed as stereocomplex structures and growth stereocomplex crystals of PLA (sc‐PLA). The effects of sc‐PLA crystals on thermal behavior, mechanical properties, thermal decomposition of the PTLG/PDLA blends were investigated, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) results showed that the total crystallinity of the PTLG/PDLA blends was increased with the PDLA content increasing. Heterogeneous nucleation of sc‐PLA crystals induced crystallization of the PLLA segments in PTLG. The crystallization temperature of samples shifted to 107.5°C for the PTLG/PDLA‐20 blends compared with that of the PTLG matrix, and decreased the half‐time of crystallization. The mechanical measurement results indicated that the tensile strength of the PTLG/PDLA blends was improved from 21.1 MPa of the PTLG matrix to 39.5 MPa of PTLG/PDLA‐20 blends. The results of kinetics of thermal decomposition of the PTLG/PDLA blends by TGA showed that the apparent activation energy of the PTLG/PDLA blends was increased from 59.1 to 72.1 kJ/mol with the increasing of the PDLA content from 3 wt% to 20 wt%, which indicated the enhancement of thermal stability of the PTLG/PDLA blends by addition of PDLA. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the PTLG/PDLA blends cultured with human adipose‐derived stem cells was evaluated by CCK‐8 and live/dead staining. The experiment results proved the PTLG/PDLA blends were a kind of biomaterial with excellent physical performances with very low cytotoxicity.     

Preparation of PLA-based nanocomposites modified by nano-attapulgite with good toughness-strength balance

Polylactic acid (PLA) was modified by poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and nano-attapulgite (AT) using the melt blending technique. Ethylene-butyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (E-BA-GMA) was used as a compatibilizer which can bond the AT nanoparticles with PLA/PBAT matrix by interaction between the epoxy and hydroxyl groups. The effects of the AT content on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, crystallinity and morphology of PLA/PBAT/ATT nanocomposites were investigated. The results showed that the tensile strength, elongation at break and impact strength of PLA/PBAT could be simultaneously increased by incorporating AT nanoparticles. PLA/PBAT/AT nanocomposites possessed higher thermal stability than pure PLA/PBAT. In the ternary composite system of PLA/PBAT/AT, AT acted as a heterogeneous nucleating agent and was able to increase the crystallization temperature. When the AT content was low (≤2.5 wt%), AT nanoparticles could uniformly disperse in the PLA/PBAT matrix. In general, AT was an effective filler to reinforce and toughen PLA/PBAT blend simultaneously, and the PLA/PBAT/AT nanocomposite with 2.5 wt% AT exhibited a good combination of strength and toughness.     

Formulation selection of aliphatic aromatic biodegradable polyester film exposed to UV/solar radiation

Aliphatic aromatic copolyester films, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) or PBAT, are susceptible to photodegradation, leading to main chain scission and crosslinking. The presence of crosslinked structures not only decreased the mechanical properties of the film due to embrittlement, but also hindered the biodegradation process by limiting access of water and microorganisms to the polymer chains. This has limited the use of PBAT for outdoor applications, such as mulch films. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimal concentrations of carbon black (CB) and the chain breaking antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) for the design of mulch films that can prevent the formation of crosslinked structures from recombination of free radicals. An overlaid contour plot of suitable concentrations of CB and BHT for the formulation of mulch film for crop production in Michigan or regions with similar solar radiation was established using selection criteria of light transmission of less than 20%, final tensile strength of at least 6.35 MPa, maximum gel fraction of 0.30, and positive number average molecular weight reduction sensitivity in the early stage of degradation.     

Investigating properties of poly (ether‐amide)/MWCNT nanocomposite films containing 2,7‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)naphthalene and isophthalic segments

Three nanocomposite films based on aramid (poly (ether‐amide), PEA) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared via solution casting method using 2,7‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)naphthalene (4) and isophthalic acid (5) containing various amounts of MWCNT (2, 3, 5 wt.%). To comprehensively analyze the properties of the cast films as well as the monomers, different techniques were employed, namely FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, X‐ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Also, thermal and tensile properties of PEA (6) and nanocomposite films were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and mechanical analysis, respectively. The morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of nanocomposite films approved that MWCNT had well dispersion in the PEA matrix and showed a synergistic effect on improving all of the investigated properties. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis results, employing MWCNT caused to increase in the char yields from 61 (in the neat PEA) to 66 (in the PEA /MWCNT nanocomposite 5 wt.%) under the nitrogen atmosphere. In comparison to the pristine PEA (426°C), the temperature at 10 losses mass % (T₁₀) was increased from 530°C to 576°C, with 2 to 5 wt.% of MWCNT. Mechanical analysis revealed that the tensile strength and initial modulus were improved by incorporating MWCNT into PEA (81.70–93.40 MPa and 2.10–2.22 GPa, respectively). Electrical conductivity of the PEA/MWCNT nanocomposites was displayed maximum value in the 5 wt.%, showing satisfactory value in many application areas. The X‐ray diffraction technique was employed to study the crystalline structure of the prepared nanocomposite films as well as PEA. In addition, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study demonstrated that the prepared nanocomposites had significant impedance improvement in the presence of MWCNTs.     

Fabrication of Poly(L‐lactide)‐block‐Poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐Poly(L‐lactide) Triblock Copolymer Thin Films with Nanochannels: An AFM Study

This paper aims to report the fabrication of biodegradable thin films with micro‐domains of cylindrical nanochannels through the solvent‐induced microphase separation of poly(L ‐lactide)‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐poly(L ‐lactide) (PLA‐b‐PEG‐b‐PLA) triblock copolymers with different block ratios. In our experimental scope, an increase in each of the block lengths of the PLA and PEG blocks led to both a variation in the average number density (146 to 32 per 100 µm²) and the size of the micro‐domains (140 to 427 nm). Analyses by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy indicated that the hydrophilic PEG nanochannels were dispersed in the PLA matrix of the PLA‐b‐PEG‐b‐PLA films. We demonstrated that the micro‐domain morphology could be controlled not only by the block length of PEG, but also by the solvent evaporation conditions.

     

Biodegradation behavior of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and their blend under soil conditions

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were mixed at a ratio of 40:60, extruded to form granules and cast into film; then, the PLA, PBAT, and PBAT/PLA film samples were buried in real soil environments. The residual degraded samples were taken regularly from the soil and analyzed by SEM, DSC, TGA, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The analyses showed that PBAT and PLA had different biodegradation mechanisms. Further, the melting temperature and the melting point change of the various components in the PBAT/PLA blend before and after the biodegradation essentially followed the process of the changes in the respective single polymers. After biodegradation, the carbon atom content in the molecular structure of the PBAT, PLA, and PBAT/PLA samples decreased, while the oxygen atom content increased, indicating that the samples indeed degraded. The biodegradation rates of PBAT and PLA in the PBAT/PLA blend were not the same as those for the single materials.