Abstract
Polymer/clay composites are an innovative class of materials. In this study, we present a facile method for the preparation of biodegradable and robust PLA/organomodified montmorillonite (OMMT) composite films with excellent gas barrier performance. When the design of PLA/OMMT composite films, in addition to making OMMT have good intercalation effect in the matrix, the compatibility of intercalating polymer and matrix should also be considered. In this work, two polymers with high gas barrier properties, namely poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), were selected to intercalate OMMT. The morphology and microstructures of the prepared PLA/PVA/OMMT and PLA/EVOH/OMMT composites were characterized by the X-ray diffraction measurement, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It was shown that the good dispersibility of PVA in the PLA matrix, rather than the intercalation effect, was responsible for the improved gas barrier and mechanical properties of PLA/PVA/OMMT composite. The elongation at break increases from 4.5% to 22.7% when 1 wt % PVA is added to PLA/OMMT. Moreover, gas barrier of PLA/PVA1/OMMT measured as O2 permeability is 52.8% higher than that of neat PLA. This work provides a route to intercalate OMMT interlayer with high gas barrier polymers and thus can be a useful reference to fabricate PLA/OMMT composites with improved gas barrier and mechanical properties. A comparison of oxygen permeabilities with existing commercial packaging films indicates that the biodegradable PLA/PVA/OMMT may serve as a viable substitute for packaging film applications.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe shelf life of food is very important for maintaining its freshness and quality [1].Studies have shown that increased food wastage due to food deterioration results in decreased food safety, which leads to increased malnutrition and hunger [2]
A comparison of oxygen permeabilities with existing commercial packaging films indicates that the biodegradable Polylactic acid (PLA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/organomodified montmorillonite (OMMT) may serve as a viable substitute for packaging film applications
We found that PLA/OMMT nanocomposites with 6 wt % OMMT show the highest dispersibility and the best gas barrier performance [16], so in this study, we fixed the amount of OMMT to 6 wt %
Summary
The PLA (4032D, Mn = 106,000 g/mol, Mw = 223,000 g/mol) with approx. 2% D -LA was supplied by NatureWorks (Minnetonka, MN, USA). TL), with a length/thickness ratio of 80 where the organic modified is 18-amino stearic acid, was purchased from Nanocor Inc. OMMT and PLA were oven-dried at 80 ◦ C for 12 h. PVA (17–88) with a degree of polymerization 1700, and alcohol content of 88% was obtained from Aladdin. Ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) resins supplied by Kuraray Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan were H171 grade and contain. 38 mol% ethylene with the density of 1.17 g cm−3 and a melt flow index of 1.8 g/10 min at 190 ◦ C. PVA and EVOH granules were oven-dried at 80 ◦ C for 12 h before internal mixing with PLA and OMMT
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