Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polyester with great interest because it is produced from renewable resources at low cost, is recyclable to its monomers and is a potential substitute to petroleum-based polymers. The ultraviolet (UV) degradation of polymers has huge importance since the resistance to ageing, especially to UV light, is a key factor for outdoor applications. Therefore, the goal of the present work was to study the effect of the addition of different organic modified montmorillonites (MMT) on the UV stability of PLA. Results showed a higher decrease of intrinsic viscosity, increase of crystallinity and chemical structure changes along degradation time for nanocomposites. Although the photodegradation mechanism is the same as the one previously proposed, the presence of organoclays in the PLA matrix enhances photodegradation.
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