Biopolymer nanocomposites based on poly(hydroxybutyrate-co -hydroxyvalerate) reinforced by a non-ionic organoclay

Abstract

In this study, a nanocomposite based on a biodegradable polymer poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) reinforced by triethylene glycol mono-n-decyl ether (C 10 E 3 ) non-ionic organoclay (C 10 E 3 -Mt) was prepared. The morphology and the thermal and mechanical properties of PHBV/C 10 E 3 -Mt were compared with those of PHBV nanocomposites prepared using commercial organically modified montmorillonite Cloisite ® 30B (OMt) and raw montmorillonite (Mt). Nanocomposites with 3 wt% nanoparticles were obtained by melt processing. The high level of dispersion with improved interfacial interactions between OMt and polymer led to an increase in the thermal stability and modulus of PHBV. However, this nanocomposite presented a lower strain before fracture, typical of brittle behavior. The transmission electron microscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction results revealed a significant increase in the interlayer spacing of clay for the PHBV/C 10 E 3 -Mt nanocomposite, which was favored by the wide expansion of the platelets of the starting non-ionic organoclay. This characteristic of C 10 E 3 -Mt, together with its hydrophobic behavior, allowed its easy incorporation in the PHBV matrix, thus improving the processing and maintaining a high modulus with increased material toughness.

Effects of the organic modification of different clay minerals and their application in biodegradable polymer nanocomposites of PHBV

“…Research interest has recently shifted towards the use of other organo-modifiers, including non-traditional cationic salts e.g. quarternary phosphonium salts (Ollier et al, 2013), and nonionic surfactants (Carli et al, 2015), among others.…”

Synthesis and structure-property relationships of biodegradable polyurethanes

“…The introduction of reinforcing nanoparticles into a continuous polymer phase to form eco-friendly green nanocomposites has attracted a great deal of attention [235][236][237]. The use of chitin nanowhiskers (ChW) as a reinforcing nanofiller in the polymer matrix provides positive environmental benefits with respect to ultimate disposability and raw material use as well as strong mechanical properties.…”

Confinement of a Nonionic Surfactant Membrane Within a Montmorillonite as a New Way to Prepare Organoclay Materials

“…The resulting hybrid layered material exhibits a change of its chemical nature that switches from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. These modifications allow the adsorption of neutral organic compounds and offer numerous applications 1,[7][8][9] . The first is relied to environmental issue, where many authors suggested the use of organoclays as geochemical layers for the capture of hydrophobic pollutants which usually pass through the natural clay barrier implemented against pollution, or as sorbent materials for water remediation.…”

“…Smectite clay minerals such as Wyoming montmorillonite display, in presence of water, cation exchange capacities (CEC), swelling, hydration properties and a high surface area which lead to strong adsorption properties. These properties have been highlighted in several applications involving catalysis, nanocomposite materials, geochemical barriers in the case of waste landfills as well as potential sorbents for water remediation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . The structure of dioctahedral smectite is represented by two Si 4 O 10 tetrahedral sheets of sandwiching an aluminum (Al 4 (OH) 12 ) or a magnesium (Mg 6 (OH) 12 ) octahedral sheet.…”

“…The first is relied to environmental issue, where many authors suggested the use of organoclays as geochemical layers for the capture of hydrophobic pollutants which usually pass through the natural clay barrier implemented against pollution, or as sorbent materials for water remediation. Other applications are the use of organoclays as basis for the implementation of polymer layered nanocomposites, where nanocomposite properties such as biodegradability, impermeability, and heat resistance are highly improved 7,10 . Several authors have recently raised the interest to synthesize organoclays by the use of other surfactants 1,[11][12][13] .…”