Poly(L-lactide)-co-poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PLLA-PTMC) composites with various talc content as food packaging materials were prepared by solvent casting method. The effect of talc filler loading (0, 1, 2, and 3 wt%) on phase morphology of PLLA-PTMC/Talc composites and improvement in resulting properties were reported. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves indicated that the crystallinity of PLLA-PTMC/Talc composites increased. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) suggested that there were strong interactions between PLLA-PTMC copolymer and talc filler. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of composite films revealed certain homogeneity between PLLA-PTMC and Talc, when the talc filler did not exceed 3 wt%. The elongation at break of composite films significantly (p<0.05) improved with the addition of talc filler. Furthermore, there were 23%, 31%, and 14% improvement in water vapor barrier properties at 1, 2, and 3 wt% of talc in PLLA-PTMC/Talc composites, respectively. This had been confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
Keywords: Composites; Copolymer; Polycarbonates; Polyesters; Properties and characterization; Talc.
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