A Characteristic Study of Polylactic Acid/Organic Modified Montmorillonite (PLA/OMMT) Nanocomposite Materials after Hydrolyzing

Abstract

In this study, the montmorillonite (MMT) clay was modified with NH4Cl, and then the structures were exfoliated or intercalated in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix by a torque rheometer in the ratio of 0.5, 3.0, 5.0 and 8.0 wt%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the organic modified-MMT(OMMT) was distributed successfully in the PLA matrix. After thermal pressing, the thermal stability of the mixed composites was measured by a TGA. The mixed composites were also blended with OMMT by a co-rotating twin screw extruder palletizing system, and then injected for the ASTM-D638 standard specimen by an injection machine for measuring the material strength by MTS. The experimental results showed that the mixture of organophilic clay and PLA would enhance the thermal stability. In the PLA mixed with 3 wt% OMMT nanocomposite, the TGA maximum decomposition temperature (Tmax) rose from 336.84 °C to 339.08 °C. In the PLA mixed with 5 wt% OMMT nanocomposite, the loss of temperature rose from 325.14 °C to 326.48 °C. In addition, the elongation rate increased from 4.46% to 10.19% with the maximum loading of 58 MPa. After the vibrating hydrolysis process, the PLA/OMMT nanocomposite was degraded through the measurement of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and its Tg, Tc, and Tm1 declined.

Substantially Enhanced Stereocomplex Crystallization of Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(D-lactide) Blends by the Formation of Multi-Arm Stereo-Block Copolymers

“…In the past few decades, biodegradable polylactide (PLA) produced from bio-renewable feedstocks has aroused great repercussions because of its appealing physicochemical properties, such as favorable biocompatibility, excellent transparency, and high mechanical strength and stiffness [1][2][3][4][5]. To date, sustainable PLA has been increasingly utilized in biomedical materials and disposable commodities (e.g., food packaging and tableware).…”

The fundamental studies on the reaction kinetics of thermal decomposition of bio-composite based backsheet materials in photovoltaic (PV) panel

“…Bio-composites are a mixture of natural fibre (e.g., vetiver) and bio-based polymer (e.g., PLA as matrix) derived from plants thus making them renewable and biodegradable resources [3]. PLA is considered to be one of the most economical biodegradable polymers, sustainable and eco-friendly material as it is degraded by microbes [4]. The novelty of this research is the use of PLA and vetiver as potential backsheet material and the limited analysis for the kinetics study of these bio-composites.…”

Design of Novel PLA/OMMT Films with Improved Gas Barrier and Mechanical Properties by Intercalating OMMT Interlayer with High Gas Barrier Polymers

“…Due to its specific structure, unique intercalation properties, high strength, stiffness, and low cost, clay minerals are gaining more attention as a functional ingredient for different polymers. In recent years, organic modified MMT (OMMT) has been applied extensively in combination with natural polymers such as PLA [18]. Studies had provided evidence that the gas barrier and mechanical [19] and thermal properties of clay-polymer nanocomposites are significantly improved upon the introduction of even a small amount of clay (0.5 wt %) [20].…”