Synergistic effects in epoxy functionalized graphene and modified organo-montmorillonite PLA/PBAT blends

Effects of processing conditions on hybrid filler selective localization, rheological, and thermal properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(lactic acid) blends

“…Such higher increase in complex viscosity can be attributed to stronger TiO 2 /hBN interactions, which lead to a better hBN and TiO 2 dispersion in the PCL phase [Figure (d)]. Other authors also observed an increase in viscosity with the nanoparticles' dispersion . In the PCL/PLA/TiO 2 + hBN system, in the terminal region, there is a slight η* increase if compared to the ternary mixtures, which can be related to the nanoparticles' dispersion and their localization.…”

“…Besides, the better dispersion observed in the hBN nanoplatelets is also an indication of TiO 2 /hBN synergy. Studies report that the synergy between different nanoparticles assists in the dispersion in the polymer matrix …”

“…With the nanoparticle addition to the ternary systems, the Newtonian plateau disappears and the complex viscosity increases mainly in the terminal region (ω → 0), from 83 Pa s (PCL/PLA) to 155 Pa s with hBN and to 185 Pa s with TiO 2 . Such an increase in complex viscosity, especially in low‐frequency regions, reflects the nanoparticles' interactions and the dispersion effect in the polymeric matrix . The highest increase in complex viscosity in the ternary systems occurred in the TiO 2 system [Figure (a)], possibly due to the TiO 2 selective localization at the interface, which enabled a compatibilization effect in that mixture …”

“…The factors responsible for the nanoparticles' localization in ternary systems and the changes in those systems' morphology and properties have been extensively studied. However, there are only a few works on quaternary systems (hybrid fillers in an immiscible polymer blend) in the literature, which do not systematically study the factors responsible for the nanoparticles' localization and the influence of different localization on the properties of these quaternary systems and their influence on the nanocomposites' properties . For example, Cao et al .…”

“…Adding a hybrid filler to an immiscible polymer blend (quaternary nanocomposites) presents a great potential for the development of new multifunctional materials for different applications, leading to drastic improvements on the polymer blends' performance. Studies published on quaternary systems show that synergy can occur between the components of the mixture, resulting in higher thermal, electrical, mechanical, and barrier properties than those obtained in ternary systems, besides altering the dispersion state of nanoparticles . However, identifying and understanding if the factors governing the nanoparticles' selective localization in ternary systems also act in quaternary systems, besides identifying the existence of new factors, will help develop polymeric nanocomposites with controlled properties and performance, since knowing such factors enables controlling the nanoparticles' localization.…”