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Toughness Improvement in Bio-based Poly(Lactic Acid)/Epoxidized Natural Rubber Blend Reinforced with Nanosized Silica

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Abstract

This study focused on improving the toughness properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) by blending with either epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) or ENR plus nanosized silica (nSiO2). ENR with 30 mol% epoxidation (ENR-30) was synthesized via in situ performic acid epoxidation of NR latex under a controlled amount of hydrogen peroxide and formic acid. PLA was melt-mixed with three weight percentages (10–30 wt %) of ENR-30 using an internal mixer, followed by compression molding. The 80/20 PLA/ENR-30 blend showed the highest impact strength and elongation at break, indicating the optimally possible improvement in the toughness of PLA. This composition was further chosen for fabricating nanocomposites with nSiO2 at 1–3 phr. Nanocomposite at 2 phr nSiO2 revealed the highest impact strength with 1.8-fold over the neat blend, but the tensile properties of all nanocomposites decreased with the increasing nSiO2 contents. The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed a preferential distribution of nSiO2 in the ENR-30 phase rather than in the PLA phase. Based on thermal analysis results, the thermal stability of the entire nanocomposites was significantly higher than that of the neat blend, while the thermal behavior (Tg and Tm) of PLA in the nanocomposites showed no significant change.

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Acknowledgements

This Research is funded by Chulalongkorn University CU_GR_62_65_23_25.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    A. Boonmahitthisud & S. Chuayjuljit

  2. Green Materials for Industrial Application Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    A. Boonmahitthisud

  3. Program in Petrochemical and Polymer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    A. Mongkolvai

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  1. A. Boonmahitthisud
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Correspondence to A. Boonmahitthisud.

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Boonmahitthisud, A., Mongkolvai, A. & Chuayjuljit, S. Toughness Improvement in Bio-based Poly(Lactic Acid)/Epoxidized Natural Rubber Blend Reinforced with Nanosized Silica. J Polym Environ 29, 2530–2545 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-021-02063-z

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