Preparation and characterization of polylactide/montmorillonite nanocomposites.

The montmorillonite, a form of layered silicate, was successfully intercalated into polylactide (PLA) matrix through solvent-casting technique. In addition, PLA/MMT nanocomposite films were produced, in which homogenous distribution of the silicate lamellae plays a key role in the mechanical properties of the films. A small amount(5wt%) of OMMT intercalated into the PLA matrix resulted in their flexibility enhancement, from 3.68%(pure PLA film) to 352.65%. The results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns confirmed that the silicate interlayer distance increased from 3.044 nm (for OMMT) to 3.56nm (for 5wt%, maximum) with increasing OMMT contents, but decreased to 3.319 nm when OMMT content was over 8wt%. FT-IR also verified the molecular-level associations between PLA chains and OMMT lamellae by vibration variances of hydrogen bonding. DSC thermograms demonstrated that thermal stabilities of the nanocomposite films enhanced, due to the silicate lamellae dispersed into PLA matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]