Thermomechanical, thermal properties and structural morphology of poly (lactic acid) reinforced with titanium oxide nanofiller
The aim of this study was to investigate the thermomechanical, thermal properties and structural morphology of modified poly (lactic acid) (PLA) reinforced with titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofiller. The PLA composites were prepared by solvent casting followed by hot press method using tributyl citrate (...
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| Format: | thesis |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ir.upsi.edu.my/detailsg.php?det=7000 |
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| Summary: | The aim of this study was to investigate the thermomechanical, thermal properties and structural morphology of modified poly (lactic acid) (PLA) reinforced with titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofiller. The PLA composites were prepared by solvent casting followed by hot press method using tributyl citrate (TBC) as a plasticizer and TiO2 nanofiller for reinforcement. The thermomechanical, thermal behavior and structural morphology of PLA composites were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The crystallinity and transparency of the composites were studied using X-ray diffraction analysis and UV-Vis transmittance spectroscopy. Results showed TBC acts as a successful plasticizer that increased flexibility of the composite with improved crystallinity from 17.52 % to 38.56 % at the optimum loading of 7.0 w/w % TBC. The cross-section morphology of the composites revealed a good dispersion of TiO2 nanofiller in PLA matrix at low loading (0.5 to 3.5 w/w %). The presence of the nanofiller has improved the thermal stability and thermomechanical properties of the nanocomposites at low loading with 40 % improvement of storage modulus due to good dispersion of the nanofiller as shown in the SEM results. The glass transition temperature of the composites has shifted from 50.0 ?C to 54.2 ?C indicating restricted mobility of the polymer chains in the presence of the nanofiller. The transparency was excellent for plasticized PLA but decreased with the addition of the nanofiller as showed by the transmittance spectra. In conclusion, incorporation of plasticizer and the nanofiller improved the thermomechanical and thermal properties of PLA nanocomposites which exhibited optimum results at 3.5 w/w % TiO2. The implication of this study is that the modified PLA reinforced with TiO2 nanoparticles offer promising application as a food packaging due to the improved thermomechanical properties, thermal stability and crystallinity. |
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