Thermal and mechanical properties with hydrolysis of PLLA/MMT nanocomposite

The morphology and thermal/viscoelastic characteristics were investigated for PLLA/MMT nanocomposite manufactured by incorporating inorganic nanosized silicate nanoplatelets into biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA). The XRD diffractogram and TEM image may be regarded as a formation of homogeneously dispersed nanocomposites. The melting energy(Delta H-m) was increased during hydrolysis process because of increase of crystallinity. As MMT played a role of reinforcing agent, the storage modulus was increase in case of PLLA/MMT nanocomposite, it was well coincided with our previous results. From SEM image, many tiny pinholes formed by spinodal decomposition were observed on the surface, and the shape of nanocomposite was maintained during hydrolysis process. In this study, it was shown that the control of biodegradation rate, thermal/mechnical property was possibile by incorporating MMT.