Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) chains are directly grafted onto a silicon surface by in situ amidation and PLA/PLA-grafted SiO2 nanocomposites are compounded using a Haake torque rheometer. To have a better understanding of the interaction between grafted polymer chains and PLA matrix, thermal, and rheological properties of PLA/PLA-grafted SiO2 nanocomposites are explored. DSC analysis shows that PLA-grafted-SiO2 can accelerate the cold crystallization rate and increase the degree of crystallinity of PLA. Shear rheology testing indicates that PLA/PLA-grafted-SiO2 nanocomposites still exhibits the typical homopolymer-like terminal behavior at low frequency range even at a content of PLA-grafted-SiO2 of 5 wt %, compared to PLA/SiO2, it is also found that the nanocomposites show stronger shear-thinning behaviors in the high frequency region after grafting. In addition, elongation viscosity testing shows the entanglement between grafted chains and matrix that is needed to improve the melt strength of PLA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Applied Polymer Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
