The Effect of Calcium Carbonate on the Photo‐Oxidative Behavior of Poly(butylene adipate‐ co ‐terephthalate)

The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of nanosized CaCO 3 on the photo‐oxidation of poly(butylene adipate‐ co ‐terephthalate) (PBAT)‐based nanocomposites. The PBAT/CaCO 3 nanocomposites are prepared by using a corotating twin‐screw extruder with 0, 2, and 5 wt% of CaCO 3 . The films are obtained by film blowing process. Specimens of the nanocomposites and that of the pure polymer are subjected to accelerated aging with a cycle of 8 h of light at a temperature of 55 °C followed by 4 h condensation at 45 °C to evaluate the effects of the CaCO 3 addition on the photo‐oxidation of PBAT. The results indicate that the modulus and tensile strength of the nanocomposites are increased significantly after incorporation of nanosized CaCO 3 , but, however, the elongation at break remains almost unchanged. The presence of the calcium carbonate slightly increases the photo‐oxidation rate of the matrix due to the presence of a stearate coating.