Comparison of Organoclay and PE-g-MA on Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid) and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber Blends

Abstract

The effects of the montmorillonite clay surface modified with 0.5-5 wt% aminopropyltriethoxysilane and 15-35 wt% octadecylamine (Clay-ASO) and polyethylene-g-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) on morphology and mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber copolymer (NBR) blends were investigated and compared. The PLA/NBR blends and composites were prepared by melt mixing in an internal mixer and molded by compression molding. The ratio of PLA and NBR was 80/20 by weight and the Clay-ASO and PE-g-MA contents were 3, 5 and 7 phr. The morphology analysis showed that the addition of Clay-ASO and PE-g-MA at high content could improve the miscibility of PLA and NBR to be homogeneous blends due to the voids in the polymer matrix were decreased. The tensile properties showed Young’s modulus of the PLA/NBR/Clay-ASO composites was more than that of the PLA/NBR blends and Young’s modulus of composites increased with increasing Clay-ASO content, while the tensile strength and strain at break decreased with increasing Clay-ASO content. The incorporation of PE-g-MA 3 phr could improve the tensile strength, stress at break and strain at break of PLA/NBR blends.