Nanocomposites based on Biodegradable Polymer

VAZQUEZ, ANALÍA; ALVAREZ, VERA; CYRAS, VIVIANA PAOLA; LUDUEÑA, LEANDRO; MORAN, JUAN IGNACIO

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; 15th Internacional Symposium on Metastable, Amorphous and Nanostructured Materials ISMANAM 2008; 2008

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires

 One of the most available biodegradable polymers is the starch. The thermoplastic starch or plasticized starch has some limitations: it is mostly water-soluble and has poor resistance and low strength. Blends of thermoplastic starch with biodegradable polymers have been proof of one solution to the problem (1-2). MaterBi-Z is biodegradable blend of poly-e-caprolactone (PCL) and starch, is actually used as packaging material (4) due to their low cost. It is possible to improve the mechanical properties of these polymers by the addition of nanopartiles. These composites could be use in packaging where good barrier and thermal properties are required (1-2). Montmorillonite is among the most commonly used layered silicates because it is available in large quantities with relatively low cost. The increment on the mechanical properties in nanocomposites greatly depends on the dispersion of clay platelets into the polymer; which is related with the compatibility between the two components and with the processing technique (3).