Influence of organoclay on behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA)/polypropylene (PP) blend

Abstract

In this study, thermoplastic composite by blending of Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polypropylene (PP) was prepared with fixed ratio of 75:25 % by weight. Varying content of organoclay were studied with different loading of 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt.% in order to study the potential of this nanofiller in the composite. The composites were prepared by using twin screw extruder. Characterizing of PLA/PP-Clay (PLA/PP-C) composites were analyzed by focusing on physical, thermal and morphological properties. Water absorptions was analyze to observe the percentage of water uptake when percentage loading of organoclay added were increased. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to analyze the thermal stability and thermal sensitivity of the composite. Meanwhile, x-ray diffraction (XRD) were observed to study the fracture surfaces of PLA/PP-Clay composites. In water absoptions analysis it was found that the percentage of water uptake were decreased when organoclay added at 7 wt.%. DSC results showed that melting temperature (Tm) were decreased when the loading of organoclay increased and the thermal stability was improved by addition of organoclay. Morphological analysis by XRD showed that exfoliation and intercalation happened in the system. It is suggested that these combination of PLA/PP-Clay have a good potential for the fabrication of nanocomposites.