In the past decade, significant attention has been focused on biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, both from biomedical and ecological perspectives. In this direction, starch has been considered as a low-cost alternative. However, this material displays some drawbacks compared to conventional polymers, such as limited processability and high stiffness and brittleness. Blending of starch with other synthetic, biodegradable, thermoplastic polymers could lead to the development of a new range of environmentally friendly polymeric materials with improved properties. A further enhancement of the material mechanical properties can be achieved by the addition of small amounts (typically less than 5%) of nanometer-thick clay platelets.

In the present work, starch-polybutylene succinate adipate (Bionolle) nanocomposites blends were fabricated by the addition of various loadings of organomodified montmorillonite using a twin screw extruder. The structure of the prepared hybrids was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and their thermal characteristics were investigated by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermomechanical response of the nanocomposites was explored by dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis (DMTA), while the material's mechanical properties were studied in tensile loading conditions. The results revealed that the nanoclays presence affect significantly the properties of the blends.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Region of Western Macedonia (Greece) through the PEP grant with MIS 105545 to I. Z.