The increasing volume of plastic has caused the serious problem in environment. One way to solve thisproblem is preparation of new plastic materials which can be decomposed by microorganisms in environment. Theseplastics may be prepared from non-biodegradable material by modification of theirs physical and chemical properties,preparation of theirs copolymers and polyblends. The main problem in preparation of polyblends is compatibilitybetween polymers mixtures. In this work has focused on preparation of polyblends between poly(vinyl alcohol) (PYA)and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) in various compositions by casting of polymers solution. Characterizations ofpolyblends were carried out by analysis of functional groups (FTIR), thermal property (DSC and TGAlDTA),mechanical properties (Tensile tester), and crystallinity (XRD). The results of polyblends showed that the compatibleand homogeneous polyblends were obtained in solvent composition (dimethyl sulfoxide / tetrahydrofurane)(DMSOffHF) of 3:I and PCL ratio in polyblends less than 15 % (w/w). The absorption intensity of carbonyl and alkylgroups observed in 1725 cm-l and 2940 cm-1 increased with increasing PCL composition in polyblends. The meltingpoint (Tm) and fusion enthalpy (MIm) for PCL region in polyblends decreased with decreasing PCL composition, butmelting point (Tm) and fusion of enthalpy (MIm) for PYA region increased. The total fusion enthalpy value obtained byobservation was smaller than that of calculation value, indicating the presence of interaction between PCL and PYA toform a part of compatible polyblends with more amorphous structure. The mechanical properties of polyblends tended todecrease with increasing PCL ratio in polyblends. These results were supported by analysis of crystallinity with using X-raydiffraction.Keywords: Poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(e-caproplactone), polyblends, and compatibility. I M. Arcana and L. AliaInorganic and Physical Chemistry Research Groups, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Sciences,Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
