Study on the effect of modified clay on the properties of high density polyethylene and Vietnamese starch blend

Abstract

This study focuses on the preparation of organoclay by intercalating the new kind of modifying agent, monoglyceride (M-Gly), into the Vietnamese Na-saturated montmorillonite (Na-MMT) layers. The modification of clay was conducted in using internal thermo Hakee mixer with high shear rate which gave the obviously expansion of the layer galleries of clay, in having the dspacing more than 60Ã… showed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Low density polyethylene (LDPE)/thermal plastic starch (TPS) blend has been studied to prepare the green nanocomposite material in using the montmorillonite clay as the reinforced phase. The mixtures of LDPE/TPS/ montmorillonite nanocomposites have been elaborated by melting method at 160⁰C in 5 minutes. The nanocomposite morphology was investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM), and the results have shown the good dispersion of clay in the matrix polymer blend. As result, the thermal and mechanical properties of material are also enhanced when the claywas added. By mechanical testing machine showed tensile strength and modules of the mixture increased and good result in 3%wt of organoclay, which have shown interface adhesion between components so good in mixture