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Volume 8, Issue 6 (Suppl)
J Bioremediat Biodegrad, an open access journal
ISSN:2155-6199
Biopolymers & Bioplastics 2017
October 19-20, 2017
October 19-20, 2017 San Francisco, USA
7
th
International Conference and Exhibition on
Biopolymers and Bioplastics
Studies on modification of poly lactic acid to enhance its thermal and mechanical properties
S. Ananda Kumar, S. Mahendra Selvan
and
A. Gnanaprakasam
Anna University, India
P
oly Lactic Acid's (PLA) industrial applications are limited due to its poor thermal and mechanical properties. Rationale of this
present work is to modify PLA by reinforcing it with organically modified MMT clay, thereby making films with properties that
are ideally suited for packaging application. PLA flexible films are developed using solvent casting method. The mechanical and
thermal properties are studied using tensile test and thermo-gravimetric analysis there by determining the optimum percentage
of clay to be loaded. The incorporation of organically modified clay in PLA matrix offered better effect than the incorporation of
unmodified clay. The organically modified clay has increased the thermo-mechanical properties. The water absorption and solubility
test also support the data from thermo-mechanical tests. The 3 wt % OMMT clay loaded PLA films showed the best results among all.
The scope of this work is to extend the level and usage of PLA in packaging and other outdoor applications.
srinivanand@gmail.comJ Bioremediat Biodegrad 2017, 8:6 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6199-C1-012