Abstract
AbstractOrgano-modified clay nanoparticles were mixed at 1 and 5 wt% concentrations with a molten blend of 75 wt% of polylactide (PLA) and 25 wt% poly[(butylene adipate)-co-terephthalate] (PBAT). Three mixing strategies were used to control the localization of nanoclay. Small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and stress growth tests were conducted to clarify the nanoclay interactions with the blend components and its effect on the molecular relaxation behavior. SAOS and weighted relaxation spectra properties were determined before and after pre-shearing at a rate of 0.01 s−1. Molecular relaxation and its characteristics were influenced by PLA degradation, PBAT droplet coalescence, and nanoclay localization.
Highlights
Polymer blending is used to obtain tailored combinations of properties (Favis, 1991; Macosko, 2000; Nofar et al, 2019b)
Viscosity decreases by about 10%, whereas for the PLA-poly[(butylene adipate)-co-terephthalate] (PBAT) blend, the 10% viscosity drop is reached after only 500 s due to the additional effect of PBAT droplet coalescence
The stability is significantly better for S3 than for the other two samples. This is because the PLA degradation in the presence of nanoclay was minimized as the clay was initially mixed with PBAT and subsequently migrated to the interface (Nofar et al, n.d.)
Summary
Polymer blending is used to obtain tailored combinations of properties (Favis, 1991; Macosko, 2000; Nofar et al, 2019b). Nofar et al (n.d.) showed that the Cloisite 30B nanoclay was localized at the interface between PLA and PBAT phases and acted as a barrier to droplet coalescence. In all of these studies, the rheological properties are critical parameters in determining the blend morphology and nanoparticle localization (Nofar et al., 2019b; 2019c). In order to investigate the effect of morphological changes during shearing on the rheological behavior of the blends, SAOS tests were performed after stress growth and relaxation of the samples
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