Melt blending technique was used for the preparation of blends of two different polymers (polypropylene (PP) and polylactide (PLA)) with/without compatibilizer and nanoclay. The effect of nanoclay on the properties of blends and PP was investigated. Compression molding was used for the preparation of films. PP/PLA (85/15) and PP/PLA/maleic anhydride (85/15/4) were chosen as optimum blends from tensile strength test for further characterization. Tensile strength of PP/PLA (85/15) blend improved with the addition of 4 phr resin compatibilizer. The content of nanoclay was varied from 0 wt% to 5 wt% in PP. The optimized blends were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, rheological studies, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, biodegradability test, and ecotoxicology. FTIR studies indicated the presence of PLA and nanoclay in the PP matrix. The addition of compatibilizer increased the compatibility between PP and PLA. Biodegradability studies confirmed the biodegradable nature of the blends and composites. Nontoxic nature of biodegraded intermediates has been confirmed by the ecotoxicological tests.
In this article, the effect of adding polylactide (PLA) and nanoclay on the thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) films was analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal degradation kinetic parameters such as activation energy ( Ea), order of reaction ( n), and frequency factor (ln ( Z)) of the samples were studied over a temperature range of 30–550°C. Analyses were performed under nitrogen atmosphere with four different heating rates (i.e. 5, 10, 15, and 20°C min−1). The Ea was calculated by Kissinger, Kim–Park, and Flynn–Wall methods. The Ea value of PP was much higher than PLA, whereas the addition of PLA and nanoclay in PP decreased the Ea. The addition of compatibilizer increased the compatibility and Ea of blended films upto some extent. The lifetime of PP was found to be decreased with the addition of PLA and nanoclay. Studies indicated that the thermal degradation behavior and lifetime of the investigated samples depend on the fractions of constituents and heating rates.
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