Preparation of the Thermoplastic Starch／Montmorillonite Nanocomposites by Melt-intercalation

In this paper, the conception of melt-intercalation was introduced into the natural polymer field, and the thermoplastic starch/ethanolamine-activated montmorillonite (TPS/EMMT)nanocomposites were prepared by extruding the composites of EMMT and TPS, plasticized with ethanolamine/formamide. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that TPS was intercalated into the layers of EMMT successfully and formed the intercalation nanocomposites with EMMT. When EMMT content was wt.10%, the mechanical testing indicated that the tensile stress of the nanocomposites reached 9.69 MPa, and the tensile strain reached 74.07%, Youngs modulus increased from the 47.23 MPa of TPS to 184.11 MPa of TPS/EMMT nanocomposites, and breaking energy increased from 1.34 N.m to 2.15 N.m after they had been stored at RH25% for 14 days.

Preparation of the Thermoplastic Starch/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites by Melt-intercalation