Biocomposites based on biodegradable polybutylene succinate
(PBS)
and organomodified clays (OMt) were prepared by melt blending process.
The OMt nanofillers were obtained by ion exchange reaction between
sodium montmorillonite (Mt) and gemini surfactants bearing 4-decyloxyphenylacetamide
hydrophobic chains and ethylene or hexylene spacer. X-ray diffraction
(XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), and rheological measurement results showed that the investigated
hybrids present a uniform dispersion with an exfoliation of clay into
the PBS matrix, particularly for short spacer surfactant based composites.
The effect of organoclay loading and composition on the thermal, mechanical,
and barrier properties was also investigated. High clay loading and
long gemini surfactant spacer lead to substantial improvement of Young
modulus values by 21%, while low clay content induces a reduction
of the hybrid’s crystallinity due to strong OMt–PBS
interactions. Compared to that of the neat PBS film, a significant
reduction of the water vapor permeability (WVP) by 28% was obtained
by adding only 3 wt % of PBS/OMt (2) which opens up prospects for
this material in the field of food packaging. This study shows that
gemini surfactant-modified organoclays can be used as effective nanofillers
in a PBS matrix to access to value-added nanocomposites.