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Poly(lactic acid)/Aluminum Oxide Composites Fabricated by Sol‐Gel and Melt Compounding Processes
Author(s) -
Yuzay Isinay E.,
Auras Rafael,
Selke Susan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.200900223
Subject(s) - materials science , compounding , amorphous solid , composite material , oxide , dispersion (optics) , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , pellets , sol gel , aluminium , chemical engineering , metallurgy , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , optics , engineering , chemistry , physics
Aluminum‐oxide‐coated PLA pellets, particles derived from aluminum oxide sol‐gel, and calcinated α ‐Al 2 O 3 powders were used to fabricate PLA/AlO x composites. The formation of aluminum oxide was confirmed by FTIR and EDS. SEM images suggested the melt compounding system provided a fairly homogeneous dispersion of AlO x particles in the PLA matrix. XRD analysis showed PLA and PLA/AlO x composites were both amorphous. The incorporation of AlO x particles did not alter the melting temperature of PLA. However, the shape and intensity of the melting endotherms was significantly changed, suggesting bimodal melting behavior. UV‐Vis transmission spectra suggested that PLA/AlO x composites may act as a better UV barrier than neat PLA.