Morphology and Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Ethylene-Octene Copolymer Blends with Different Organoclay Types

This work studied the morphology, mechanical and thermal properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC) (80/20) blends with different organoclay types. Herein, EOC was introduced to toughening PLA by melt blending and organoclay was used to improve compatibility and tensile properties of the blends. The two organoclay types were nanoclay surface modified with aminopropyltriethoxysilane 0.5-5 wt% and octadecylamine 15-35% (Clay-ASO) and nanoclay surface modified with dimethyl dialkyl (C14-C18) amine 35-45 wt% (Clay-DDA). The organoclay contents were 3, 5 and 7 phr. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation results revealed PLA/EOC blends demonstrated a two-phase separation of dispersed EOC phase and PLA matrix phase. The addition of organoclay significantly improved the compatibility between PLA and EOC phases due to EOC droplet size decreased dominantly in PLA matrix, so organoclay could act as an effective compatibilizer. The incorporation of organoclay increased significantly tensile strength of PLA/EOC/organoclay composites while Young’s modulus increased with 5 phr of organoclay. The thermal stability of PLA/EOC blends did not change when compared with neat PLA, and when added Clay-ASO in the blends could improve the thermal stability of the PLA/EOC blends.