EFFECT OF MONTMORILLONITE ORGANIC MODIFICATION ON POLYCAPROLACTONE COMPOSITES PROPERTIES

ANA E. BIANCHI; A. F. BOTANA; R. M. TORRES SÁNCHEZ; M. MOLLO; P. EISBERG; I. TORRIANI; G. PUNTE

San carlos de bariloche

Congreso; VII Reunión Anual de la AACr; 2011

Asociación Argentina de Cristalografía

In this work a polymer composite film based on a semicrystalline biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL), and a commercial organically modified montmorillonite (MMT), 30B, is characterized and its properties are compared 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). Films mechanical properties, oxygen permeability, burning behavior and rheological properties were also determined. TEM and XDR showed some degree of clay intercalation/exfoliation matrix. These results were 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 modifies PCL films properties. Comparison of PCL30B with PCL films shows increase in elastic modulus, enhance in oxidative properties and decrease in oxygen permeability, burning behavior is also improved. .