Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Study of Nanoclay Reinforced Bio-based Poly Lactic Acid/Poly (3-hydroxy butyrate co-3-valerate) (PLA/PHBV) Blend

A hybrid biopolymer blend using PLA/PHBV with tailored material properties has been fabricated by using solvent casting method. Biopolymer blends of 25/75, 50/50, and 75/25 wt.% were investigated for property optimization. Afterwards, different percentages (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) of nanoclay (NC) were incorporated into the optimized (75/25 wt.%) system to further enhance the properties. DSC, TGA, Tensile, and SEM tests were conducted to investigate mechanical, thermal and morphological properties. It was observed that the crystallinity of the PLA phase increased with increasing amount of NC. Also, the tensile strength of PLA and PHBV film was found to be 29.20 MPa and 16.79 MPa, respectively, whereas, 75/25 wt.% blend showed 25.73 MPa which is higher than PHBV phase. Then, the addition of 2 wt.% NC showed optimized and better mechanical and thermal properties compared to individual polymer phase. Also, two glass transition temperatures were found from thermal analysis which is the indication of the solution immiscibility. It was revealed from the SEM micrographs that the 2 wt.% NC was dispersed uniformly throughout the resin blend.

Keywords: Blend; PHBV; Nanoclay; DSC; TGA; SEM

Abbreviation: Blend Mixture of two macromolecular substances; DSC Differential Scanning Calorimetry; Nanoclay Layered Mineral Silicate; PHBV Poly-(3-hydroxy butyrate-co-3-valerate); PLA Poly-Lactic Acid; SEM Scanning Electron Microscopy; TGA Thermogravimetric Analysis; DTG Derivative Thermogravimetry