Biodegradable nanocomposites based on PCL for food packaging

DANILA MERINO; ROMINA OLLIER; MATIAS LANFRANCONI; VERA ALVAREZ

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; VI International conference on science and technology of composite materials, COMAT 2015; 2015

Biodegradable nano and micro composites of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were prepared by melt blending. Na+-bentonite and bentonite modified with a natural surfactant, soy lecithin, were used as reinforcements. Composites containing 1 and 2 wt% of clay were prepared. The morphology of nanocomposites was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The results suggest the presence of exfoliated structures. Thermal analysis (by TGA and DSC), and mechanical properties have been studied as a function of clay content. The results show a moderate increase in the elongation at break and tensile strength and a slight decrease in the rigidity of the PCL nanocomposites compared to neat PCL. Moreover, the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was slightly increased