Preparation and characterization of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/stearic acid modified Zn-Ti layered double hydroxide composites
Wang Jie-Mao (1), Wang Hao (2), Wu Tzong-Ming (1)*
(1) Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Chung Hsing University - Taichung - Taiwan, (2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Chung Hsing University - Taichung - Taiwan
In this study, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PABT) copolymer were reinforced with stearic acid modified Zn-Ti layered double hydroxide (mLDH). The result of X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the stearic acid was successfully intercalated into LDH and the layer spacing of mLDH was increased from 0.67 to 4.69 nm. The crystallization behavior, rheology properties, and mechanical properties of PBAT/mLDH composites were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry, rheometer, and universal testing machine. With the increasing loading of mLDH, crystallization temperature (Tc) of composites was increased from 63.8 (pure PBAT) to 92.5 (5 wt%) ∘C, which was attributed to heterogeneous nucleation effect of mLDH. More additions of mLDH (7 wt%) did not significantly increase the Tc. This phenomenon may be explained by the rheology result which affected by the dispersion of mLDH and the interaction between PBAT and mLDH. Elastic modulus (at 1% strain) was significantly enhanced with increasing mLDH content. This indicates that the stiff mLDH make a role of reinforced material in composites.