Nanoclay Reinforced PLA Nanocomposite by Electrospinning

摘要

Nanocomposite fibers of polylactide(PLA) and nanoclay were produced by the electrospinning process. PLA dissolved in a dispersion of nanoclay in chloroform (CHCl_3)/dimethylformamide(DMF) were electrospun into nanofibers. The effects of solvent system, concentrations of PLA and nanoclay in the solution, and spinning conditions were investigated. The morphology, structure, thermal and mechanical properties of the electrospun nanocomposite fibers were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), thermogravimetry(TG) and microtensile testing. SEM images showed that submicron scale PLAanoclay composite nanofibers can be obtained and the addition of nanoclay reduced the diameter of the nanofibers and made the fibers more uniform. TEM images showed that the nanoclays were embedded in the electrospun composite nanofibers. The inclusion of nanoclay in the electropun fibers was also confirmed by X-ray diffraction. TG analyses showed that the thermal stability of the PLA nanofibers was notably improved by the introduction of nanoclay. The introduction of 1% nanoclay in PLA nanofibers resulted in simultaneous increases in the tensile strength, elongation at break and modulus for the PLA nanofibers mat.