1. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros, ICTP-CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain;2. Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5223, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France;3. Université Lyon, CNRS, UMR5223, F-69003 Lyon, France
Abstract:
A novel toughened polylactic acid (PLA) bionanocomposite with tuneable properties was successfully prepared by melt mixing PLA with natural rubber and several montmorillonites (MMTs). The organoclays were preferentially located at the interface acting as compatibilisers between both polymer phases. This location resulted in a marked improvement of the physical and mechanical properties of the system. Moreover, these properties can be controlled as a function of the nanofiller nature and the mixing procedure used.