(9c) Effect of Nanoclay Amount on the Properties of Biodegradable Polymer/Organoclay Nanocomposites Based on Cellulose Acetate and Poly(Butylene-Adipate-co-Terephthalate)
AIChE Annual Meeting
2011
2011 Annual Meeting
Materials Engineering and Sciences Division
Biocomposites - Bio-Derived and Bio-Inspired Composites
Monday, October 17, 2011 - 9:20am to 9:45am
With the ever increasing momentum of the ‘Green Movement’, a renewed interest in developing biodegradable polymers for a wide-range of industrial applications has been sparked. Cellulosics (synthetic plastics made from a naturally occurring polymer, cellulose) offer an interesting solution, as they are a major biodegradable plastic derived from a renewable resource (wood pulp). Organic nanoparticles, when introduced to varying polymer matrices, have shown to modify morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties of the blends. Within this study, bio-nanocomposites (biopolymer matrix reinforced with nanoparticles) based on cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and modified montmorillonite (MMT) are prepared using melt intercalation via twin-screw extrusion method. The effect of type (Cloisite 20A and Cloisite 30B) and amount (0wt%-5wt%) of MMT on the morphology and both mechanical and rheological properties of CAB-MMT bio-nanocomposites are investigated.