CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

For the last two decades layered silicate based polymer nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to enhanced properties as compared to pure polymer or polymer microcomposite. Three types of composites could be obtained from interaction between layered silicates and polymer: microcomposites, intercalated composites and exfoliated composites. The last two types are called nanocomposites because particles have at least one dimension in the nanometer range. Both structures coexist in a polymer nanocomposite material, and it is believed that the properties are related to the high aspect ratio of exfoliated structure [1]. In this work a polymer composite film, based on a semicrystalline biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL), and a commercial montmorillonite (MMT), 30B (organically modified MMT) is characterized and its properties are compare with those ones of a PCL film. Films were prepared by melt intercalation technique at 100 °C. The composite named PCL30B was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), mechanical properties, oxygen permeability, burning behavior and rheological properties. TEM and XDR showed some degree of clay intercalation/exfoliation matrix. These results are confirmed by SAXS data, comparison of the Kratky plots obtained from PCL and PCL30B films shows an increase in the intensity assigned to the PCL long period and a distribution in q of the clay´s contribution to the plot in PCL30B. The incorporation of MMT in PCL matrix increased nanocomposites modulus, enhanced oxidative properties and decreased oxygen permeability. Burning behavior of PCL30B was influenced by mineral particles aggregation degree.