Abstract
Two types of polymers were tested in this study; poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as a synthetic example and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a natural polymer. DSC analyses showed that the use of nanofiller increased the degree of crystallinity () of both PET and PLA polymers, but the effect was more noticeable on PET nanocomposites. The crystallization of PLA and PET nanocomposites occurred at higher temperatures in comparison to neat polymers. According to dynamic mechanical-thermal analysis (DMTA), the damping factor of PET/ nanoparticles decreased compared to the neat matrix, but for PLA nanocomposites the opposite trend was observed. Results of the mechanical test showed that for both PET and PLA nanocomposites, the most successful toughening effect was observed at 3 wt% loading of nanoparticles. SEM micrographs revealed uniform distribution of nanoparticles at 1 and 3 wt% loading levels. The results of WAXD spectra explained that the polymorphs of PLA and PET was not affected by nanoparticles. UV-visible spectra showed that nanocomposite films had high ultraviolet shielding compared to neat polymer, but there was significant reduction in transparency.
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