John, Maya J2015-11-302015-11-302015-11John, M.J. 2015. Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties. Polymer Composites, vol. 36(11), pp 2042-20500272-8397http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pc.23114/epdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10204/8309Copyright: 2015 Wiley. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file only contains the abstract of the full text item. For access to the full text item, please consult the publisher's website. The definitive version of the work is published in Polymer Composites, vol. 36(11), pp 2042-2050Biodegradable polymer blends consisting of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) have been prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder and followed by injection molding technique. Cereplast PLA containing starch as an additive was used to make the blends. The effects of three different types of clay (montmorillonite, bentonite, and chemically modified bentonite) on the mechanical and thermal properties of the blends were studied. The ratio of PLA and PHBV (w/w) was maintained at 70:30 while the weight of clay was fixed at 1%. The addition of clay was found to result in a slight increase in tensile strength and modulus. Viscoelastic studies revealed that the damping property of the blends decreased with the addition of clay. This was attributed to the decreased segmental motion in the molecular chains. The morphology of the blends has been investigated by environmental scanning electron microscopy and a homogenous surface was observed for the blend containing montmorillonite.enBiodegradable polymer blendsPolylactic acidPLAPolyhydroxy butyrate-co-valeratePHBVInjection molding techniqueCereplast PLAMontmorilloniteBentoniteArticleJohn, M. J. (2015). Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8309John, Maya J "Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties." (2015) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8309John MJ. Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties. 2015; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8309.TY - Article AU - John, Maya J AB - Biodegradable polymer blends consisting of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) have been prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder and followed by injection molding technique. Cereplast PLA containing starch as an additive was used to make the blends. The effects of three different types of clay (montmorillonite, bentonite, and chemically modified bentonite) on the mechanical and thermal properties of the blends were studied. The ratio of PLA and PHBV (w/w) was maintained at 70:30 while the weight of clay was fixed at 1%. The addition of clay was found to result in a slight increase in tensile strength and modulus. Viscoelastic studies revealed that the damping property of the blends decreased with the addition of clay. This was attributed to the decreased segmental motion in the molecular chains. The morphology of the blends has been investigated by environmental scanning electron microscopy and a homogenous surface was observed for the blend containing montmorillonite. DA - 2015-11 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR KW - Biodegradable polymer blends KW - Polylactic acid KW - PLA KW - Polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate KW - PHBV KW - Injection molding technique KW - Cereplast PLA KW - Montmorillonite KW - Bentonite LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2015 SM - 0272-8397 T1 - Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties TI - Biopolymer blends based on polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate-co-valerate: effect of clay on mechanical and thermal properties UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8309 ER -