Micromechanical modeling and characterization of the effective properties in starch-based nano-biocomposites

Acta Biomater. 2008 Nov;4(6):1707-14. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2008.05.002. Epub 2008 May 13.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to predict the effective elastic properties of starch-based nano-biocomposites. Experiments (materials elaboration, morphological characterization and determination of mechanical properties) were conducted on both the pristine matrix (plasticized starch) and the matrix filled with montmorillonite nanoclay. Aggregated/intercalated and exfoliated nano-biocomposites were produced and mechanically tested under uniaxial tension to understand the effect of montmorillonite morphology/dispersion on the stiffness properties of starch-based nano-biocomposites. Micromechanical models, based on the classical bounds and the Mori-Tanaka approaches, were developed taking into consideration the influence of the clay concentration, the exfoliation ratio, the relative humidity and the storage time (ageing). Predicted results are in a good agreement with our experiments and show that the micromechanical model can be used as an indirect characterization technique to quantify the exfoliation/aggregation degree in the plasticized starch/clay nano-biocomposites.

MeSH terms

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Bentonite / chemistry*
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry*
  • Clay
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Models, Statistical
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanocomposites / chemistry
  • Nanostructures / chemistry
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Plasticizers
  • Starch
  • Stress, Mechanical
  • Triticum / metabolism
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Plasticizers
  • Bentonite
  • Starch
  • Clay