| Summary: | Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer that can be substituted
in usage of conventional non-degradable polymers. The strength of the PLA can be
enhanced by incorporating clay. In this research, PLA was mixed with organoclay
(Cloisite 30B, C30B) using Haake internal mixer. The X-ray diffraction (XRD)
patterns and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that PLA
chains were intercalated into the layers of the organoclay. The thermal properties
showed a slight decrease in the glass transition temperature of PLA, and similar trend
was observed in Tan delta. The nanocomposites exhibited higher storage modulus
than the matrix. The PLA/C30B nanocomposites exhibited increment in modulus of
PLA by using organoclay, in which it is suitable to replace non-degradablematerials.
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