Preparation and characterization of nanocomposite of maleated poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) with organoclay

Nanocomposites of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) with montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles were prepared via melt blending. Natural MMT was modified by either octadecylamine (ODA) or dihexylamine (DHA). Neat PBAT was grafted with maleic anhydride via melt grafting process. Intercalation of the organoclay in the PBAT matrix was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). From the results of transmission electron microscope (TEM), the dispersion of ODA-modified MMT in the PBAT matrix was more homogeneous than that of neat MMT. The addition of organoclay can increase the cooling crystallization temperature of PBAT, as observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, the results of thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) showed that the addition of ODA-modified MMT can improve the thermal stability of PBAT nanocomposites. The tensile strength was little affected, while the Young's modulus was increased with the addition of nanoclays. The grafting of PBAT with MA resulted in improved interaction between polymer matrix and the silicate layer due to the formation of chemical/physical bonds, thus the dispersion of organoclays was enhanced. By grafting PBAT with MA, the enzymatic biodegradation of the nanocomposite was increased, while the photodegradation of PBAT was little affected. Furthermore, the transmission of water vapor was reduced by the addition of organically modified MMT.