Super toughening of PLA through blending with SEBS and nano-clay

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) is known as a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that shows brittle behavior during the tensile strength test. Mixing has always been one of the most cost-effective ways to improve the properties of polymers. For this reason, in this particular work alloying with rubber particles has been selected to improve the fracture behavior of PLA. In this study, SEBS rubber was used to enhance the toughness and mechanical properties of this polymer. Besides, the effect of different amounts of clay on Nano-composite’s properties was studied. After blending, the rheological, physical, and mechanical properties have been measured. For this aim, measuring tools such as tensile, DMTA, and SEM were used to illustrate the material blends’ properties and degree of exfoliation of nanoplates. Finally, it was found that the system, which consisted of ۲۰% by weight of SEBS rubber and ۲% by weight of nano-clay, has shown the most improvement and the highest toughness.