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Less‐ordered lamellar structure of intercalated poly( L ‐lactide)/organo‐modified montmorillonite hybrids
Author(s) -
Nam Pham Hoai,
Ninomiya Naoya,
Fujimori Atsuhiro,
Masuko Toru
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.20556
Subject(s) - materials science , montmorillonite , lamellar structure , lactide , intercalation (chemistry) , transmission electron microscopy , composite material , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , copolymer , crystallography , polymer , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering
Hybrids of poly( L ‐lactide)/organophilic clay (PLACHs) have been prepared via a melt‐compounding process using poly( L ‐lactide) (PLLA) and different contents of surface‐treated montmorillonite modified with dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium‐salt. The crystalline structures of PLLA and dispersion states of clay particles in those PLACHs were investigated by use of wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy (both cross section and replication modes), and polarized optical microscopy. Those structures are viewed from the conformational changes of PLLA chains in the space of a few nanometer widths between silicate galleries to crystalline lamellae of several nanometer thicknesses, and spherulitic textures more than micrometer sizes. After annealing treatments at 115°C for 1 hr, the PLACHs formed coarse‐grained spherulitic textures with 40 μm diameter composed of less‐ordered and fragmented lamellae, caused by the reduced mobility of the PLLA chain due to the dispersed clay particles in the PLLA matrix and the intercalation of the PLLA chains in the silicate galleries. The formation of the interfibril structure accompanied by the fragmented lamellae among the dispersed clay particles was examined. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:703–711, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers