Effect of low nanoclay content on the physico-mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid) nanocomposites:

In this work, three different nanoclays (1.44P, 1.34MN, and Cloisite 15A) were used to reinforce an injection grade poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared using three different nanoclay concentration levels (1, 3, and 5 wt%) in a twin-screw extruder. To evaluate their mechanical performance (static and dynamic tests) and thermal properties, the respective samples were obtained by injection molding. Results showed that the three nanoclays significantly increased the tensile and flexural modulus of the injection grade PLA. The 1.34MN NCs also showed improvement in the tensile strength. An increment in flexural strength was obtained with 1.34MN and 1.44P nanoclays, while with nanoclay 15A, the flexural strength decreased. Additionally, the use of 5 wt% of 1.44P nanoclay allowed an increase in impact strength while using 1.34MN and 15A nanoclays, the impact strength was similar to the one observed for pure PLA. In general, mechanodynamic analysis results showed that storage modulus in...