Properties and morphology of poly(<scp>L</scp>‐lactide)/clay composites according to the clay modification

Abstract

Abstract Montmorillonite (MMT) was modified with dodecylamine, 1,12‐diaminododecane, and 1,11‐aminoundecanoic acid to prepare CHMMT, NHMMT, and COMMT, respectively. The three clays were mixed with poly( L ‐lactide) (PLLA) with the aid of chloroform. Depending on the modifiers, PLLA/MMT composites exhibited different mechanical properties and morphology. A completely exfoliated morphology was observed in the PLLA/COMMT composite (PLACO). The PLACO exhibited the best tensile properties among the tested composites because of the finest dispersion of the clay layers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102:4983–4988, 2006