Tailoring the mechanical and thermal properties of polylactic acid-based bionanocomposite films using halloysite nanotubes and polyethylene glycol by solvent casting process

Three different types of nanoparticles, 1D Cloisite 30B clay nanoplatelets, 2D halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), and 3D nanobamboo charcoals (NBCs) were employed to investigate the impact of nanoparticle shapes and structures on the material performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) bionanocomposite films in terms of their mechanical and thermal properties, morphological structures, and nanomechanical behaviour. The overall results revealed the superior reinforcement efficiency of NBCs to Cloisite 30B clays and HNTs, owing to their typical porous structures to actively interact with PVA matrices in the combined formation of strong mechanical and hydrogen bondings. Three-dimensional NBCs also achieved better nanoparticle dispersibility when compared with 1D Cloisite 30B clays and 2D HNTs along with higher thermal stability, which was attributed to their larger interfacial regions when characterised for the nanomechanical behaviour of corresponding bionanocomposite films. Our study offers an insightful guidance to the appropriate selection of nanoparticles as effective reinforcements and the further sophisticated design of bionanocomposite materials.

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Influence of surface modification of halloysite nanotubes and its localization in PP phase on mechanical and thermal properties of PP/ABS blends

Composite Interfaces ◽

10.1080/09276440.2016.1235442 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 469-487 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Pravin Kubade ◽

Pankaj Tambe

Keyword(s):

Surface Modification ◽

Thermal Properties ◽

Halloysite Nanotubes ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties

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Effect of GNPs on the Piezoresistive, Electrical and Mechanical Properties of PHA and PLA Films

Fibers ◽

10.3390/fib9120086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Gonzalo Mármol ◽

Usha Kiran Sanivada ◽

Raul Fangueiro

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Polyethylene Glycol ◽

Polylactic Acid ◽

Cellulose Nanocrystals ◽

Graphene Nanoplatelets ◽

Gauge Factor ◽

Solvent Casting ◽

Nanoparticle Distribution ◽

Primary Focus

Sustainability has become the primary focus for researchers lately. Biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic acid (PLA) are biocompatible and biodegradable. Introducing piezoresistive response in the films produced by PLA and PHA by adding nanoparticles can be interesting. Hence, a study was performed to evaluate the mechanical, electrical and piezoresistive response of films made from PHA and PLA. The films were produced by solvent casting, and they were reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) at different nanoparticle concentrations (from 0.15 to 15 wt.%). Moreover, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as reinforcing elements and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizers were added. After the assessment of the nanoparticle distribution, the films were subjected to tests such as tensile, electrical conductivity and piezoresistive response. The dispersion was found to be good in PLA films and there exist some agglomerations in PHA films. The results suggested that the incorporation of GNPs enhanced the mechanical properties until 0.75 wt.% and they reduced thereon. The addition of 1% CNCs and 20% PEG in 15 wt.% GNPs’ tensile values deteriorated further. The PHA films showed better electrical conductivity compared to the PLA films for the same GNPs wt.%. Gauge factor (GF) values of 6.30 and 4.31 were obtained for PHA and PLA, respectively.

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