Biodegradable PLA/PBAT/Clay Nanocomposites: Morphological, Rheological and Thermomechanical Behavior

J. P. CORREA; P. EISENBERG; A. BACIGALUPE; J. MAGGI

Journal of Renewable Materials

Scrivener Publishing LLC

Año: 2016

Poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT)-based nanocomposites were preparedby melt blending of PLA and PBAT with 5 wt% of unmodified (Cloisite Na) and modified (Cloisite 30B)montmorillonites. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed an intercalated structure in both nanocomposites. Theextent of the intercalation was higher for nanocomposites based on modified clays (OMMT) with chemicalaffinity with the polymer matrix. Rheological measurements have shown an increase in viscosity and a betterdegree of clay dispersion for nanocomposites containing OMMT. Nanocomposites with OMMT showed lowerPBAT separated phase particle size and improvements in thermal stability, mechanical properties and watervapor barrier when compared with the neat blend. Finally, our results showed that the organically modifiedclay has a higher affinity than natural clay with the studied polymer blend.