Summary: Three kinds of organoclay, i.e., Cloisite15A® (C15A), Cloisite20A® (C20A), and Cloisite30B® (C30B) were modified with silane to prepare twice functionalized organoclay (TFC). The pristine Cloisite® clays and the TFC were melt compounded with poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) and morphology of the composites was observed to elucidate the effects of the d001 gallery distance, the epoxy content of TFC, and the compatibility between the organic ammonium surfactant and PLLA on the degree of exfoliation of the clay layers.
Plots of ITFC/ICloisite versus epoxy content for PLLA composites with (a) Cloisite15A® (C15A), (b) Cloisite20A® (C20A), (c) Cloisite30B® (C30B).
