Effects of interfacial adhesion and crystallization on the thermoresistance of poly(lactic acid)/mica composites

Mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/mica and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/mica composites were investigated when a coupling agent was added. When the PLA matrix was crystallized, it was observed that the interfacial adhesion between the PLA and the mica particles was improved. The result of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the thermoresistance of the crystallized PLA/mica composite was improved significantly. Influence of the interfacial adhesion was studied through finite element analysis (FEA) by inserting void elements between the polymers and the mineral particles. The FEA results were compared with the DMA results and predicted the contact area ratio between the PLA and the mica particles.