Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane-Toughened Polylactide-Based Nanocomposites

The crystallinity and mechanical and thermal properties of polylactide (PLA)-based biodegradable-engineered plastic nanocomposites were determined. The nanocomposites were composed of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-toughened PLA, Talcum (Talc) and organic modified clay (montmorillonite; OMC). The tensile and flexural tests showed that PLA blended with 10 wt% TPU, 4 wt% Talc powder and 2 wt% OMC had the highest modulus and strength without a loss of elongation. The heat distortion temperature (HDT) tests demonstrated that the thermally treated PLA-based nanocomposites had an HDT of nearly double the HDT for untreated specimens. An analysis of the polymer using scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the incorporation of inorganic fillers altered the heterogeneous morphology of the PLA/TPU blend. This study investigated the feasibility of using PLA-based nanocomposites for practical use, including applications in the automotive and furniture industries. (C) 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers