Mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/poly(trimethylene carbonate)/talc composite films

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 2014-03, Vol.131 (6), p.np-n/a
• Main Authors: Qin, Yuyue, Yang, Jiyi, Yuan, Minglong, Xue, Jing, Chao, Jianxin, Wu, Yan, Yuan, Mingwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Application fields; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Brandies, spirituous liquors; Carbonates; Composites; Exact sciences and technology; Fermented food industries; Food industries; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Materials science; packaging; polycarbonates; polyesters; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Polymers; properties and characterization; Technology of polymers
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.40016

ABSTRACT Poly(l‐lactic acid) (PLA) is now a very attractive polymer for food packaging applications. In this study, PLA/poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC)/talc composite films were prepared by solvent casting. The influence of the talc loading (0, 1, 2, and 3 wt %) on the phase morphology of the PLA/PTMC/talc composites and the improvement in the resulting properties are reported in this article. The scanning electron microscopy images of the composite films demonstrated good compatibility between the PLA and PTMC, whereas talc was not thoroughly distributed in the PLA matrix at talc contents exceeding 3 wt %. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the composite films significantly improved (p