Influence of the processing methods on the properties of poly(lactic acid)/halloysite nanocomposites

The influence of processing methods on the thermo-mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites were investigated by preparing nanocomposites reinforced by halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) (from 0 to 10 [w/w%]) using solution casting (SC) and melt compounding (MC) methods. Statistical...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: De Silva, R. T., Soheilmoghaddam, M., Goh, K. L., Wahit, M. U., Bee, S. A. H., Chai, S. P., Pasbakhsh, P.
Format: Article
Published: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2016
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Online Access:http://eprints.utm.my/73848/
http://eprints.utm.my/73848/
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Summary:The influence of processing methods on the thermo-mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites were investigated by preparing nanocomposites reinforced by halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) (from 0 to 10 [w/w%]) using solution casting (SC) and melt compounding (MC) methods. Statistical analysis revealed that the processing methods have a significant influence on the tensile properties, where nanocomposites prepared by MC have higher tensile properties compared to those by SC. Experimental results illustrated higher tensile strength and a drop in ductility under the higher strain rate as compared to the low strain rate for PLA/HNTs nanocomposites. At lower concentrations micrographs revealed that, HNTs dispersion was better for SC films as compared to MC, but more prominent HNTs aggregation at higher loadings. MC nanocomposites exhibited a high crystallinity as compared to SC, due to the recrystallization and nucleation effects. The thermal stability and activation energy increased with addition of HNTs, regardless of the processing methods.