Effect of well-dispersed surface-modified silica nanoparticles on crystallization behavior of poly (lactic acid) under compressed carbon dioxide

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2016.06.019. © 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/In this work, the crystallization behavior of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/amine-modified silica nano- composites at different loadings of amine-modified silica (1, 2, and 8 wt %) under isothermal, non- isothermal, and isothermal under compressed CO2 is studied. A significant improvement in crystalliza- tion rate was observed after introduction of the nanoparticles. A modified Hoffman-Lauritzen nucleation theory was utilized to explain the facilitation and acceleration of the crystallization process of nano- composites with introducing the surface energy of the nanoparticles and interfacial energy between polymer/nanoparticle into the rate equation. After incorporation of the nanoparticles, three-dimensional spherulites formed sporadically in the PLA matrix based on the prediction of the Avrami exponents of the nanocomposites. High-pressure DSC results also showed an increase in the crystallization rate at 15 bar compared with the atmospheric pressure condition. However, an increase in pressure up to 21 bar had no significant effect on the crystallization rate. The PLA nanocomposites with lower molecular weights and D-content also showed a significant increase in the crystallization rate but with no change in the crys- tallization mechanism.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada || Network for Innovative Plastic Materials and Manufacturing Processes (NIPMMP) || Ontario Centers of Excellence || Canada Research Chairs (CRC)