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Polylactide/halloysite nanotube nanocomposites: Thermal, mechanical properties, and foam processing
Author(s) -
Wu Wei,
Cao Xianwu,
Zhang Yijun,
He Guangjian
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.39179
Subject(s) - halloysite , nanocomposite , thermogravimetric analysis , materials science , crystallization , thermal stability , differential scanning calorimetry , compounding , composite material , nanotube , ultimate tensile strength , flexural modulus , chemical engineering , carbon nanotube , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
Polylactide (PLA)/halloysite nanotube (HNT) nanocomposites with different HNT contents were prepared by melt compounding. The morphology, crystallization behavior, as well as thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were studied. The results showed that HNT were well dispersed in PLA matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis data revealed that the thermal stability of PLA was decreased with the increasing of HNT content. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that the presence of HNT could promote cold crystallization and lead to different crystalline phase formation. The flexural and tensile modulus of PLA/HNT nanocomposites improved significantly with the incorporation of HNT. Compared with neat PLA foam, PLA/HNT nanocomposite foams showed much higher cell density and smaller cell size due to HNT serving as the heterogeneous nucleating agents. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013