Effects of the Processing Methods on the Gas Permeability of PLA/Sepiolite Thin Films: Solution Casting versus Thermo Compression

摘要

A biodegradable poly-lactic acid (PLA)/Sepiolite nanocomposite films were prepared by the thermo-compression and solvent-casting methods, and gas barrier properties (oxygen and carbon dioxide) were evaluated. By introducing sepiolite into PLA, the properties of nanocomposite films improved until 1.5% wt. By increasing sepiolite loading, nano particles tented to agglomerate and gas permeability (GP) decreased. According to the results, the nanocomposite films prepared by the thermo-compression method were more brittle but strong due to the formation of more crystals; while solvent-casted films were more ductile due to the presence of solvent, which may act as a plasticizer, as evidenced by the results of the GP.