Viscoelastic, thermo-mechanical and environmental properties of composites based on polypropylene/poly(lactic acid) blend and copper modified nanoclay

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polypropylene (PP) blends composites were prepared by incorporating 3 wt.% of copper modified montmorillonite (MMT-Cu2+), obtained using cation exchange in a CuSO4 solution, and 10 wt.% of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) as a compatibilizer then varying the PLA content until 50 wt.%. These materials were subjected to several investigations such as X-rays diffraction, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile and environmental tests. The DMTA analysis showed that the glassy PLA high stiffness and the PP crystalline phase compensate the decrease in the storage modulus occurring during the PP and PLA glass transitions, respectively. The variations of tan delta revealed no changes on the PP and PLA phases glass transitions temperatures which indicate the immiscibility of the two polymers, as supported by DSC analysis. Blends composites SEM micrographs stated the immiscibility of the system resulting in the poor adhesion of the PLA droplets to the PP matrix. Also, the blends composites exhibited intermediate tensile properties between those of PP and PLA. The incorporation of MMT-Cu2+ to the (50/50) PP/PLA blend accentuated its aptitude to water absorption and ensured an efficient antimicrobial activity over a satisfactorily long period of around six months.