PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY-3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE/POLY (BUTYLENEADIPATE-COTEREPHTHALATE)/LAYERED DOUBLE HYDROXIDE NANOCOMPOSITES.

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate/Poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate)/layered double hydroxide (PHB/PBAT/LDH) nanocomposites were prepared from PHB/PBAT blend and stearate Zn3Al LDH via a solution casting method in this study. By using co-precipitation method, the pristine Zn3Al LDH was prepared from nitrate salts solution at pH 7 and then modified by stearate anions through an ion exchange reaction. This modification increased the basal spacing of the LDH from 8.77 to 24.94 Å. The stearate Zn3Al LDH infrared spectrum showed the presence of stearate ions in the synthesized Zn3Al LDH. Mechanical properties of the nanocomposites with 2 wt% stearate Zn3Al LDH content show 56 wt% improvements in elongation at break compared to those of the blend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]