Nanosilica-reinforced poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) nanocomposites: preparation, characterization and properties

In this study, the influence of nanosilica (SiO₂ NPs) on the mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) nanocomposites was investigated. The PBAT/SiO₂ composites were prepared by solution blending technique. PBAT/SiO₂ composites were prepared with different percentages of nano-SiO₂ loading (1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt%). The relations of SiO₂ NPs with PBAT matrix were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, % of elongation at break, tensile modulus and thickness were determined. The thermal properties such as thermo-gravimetric analysis were analyzed for the nanocomposites. The PBAT/SiO₂ composites exhibit high mechanical and thermal performance than the pure PBAT. The nanocomposites were also investigated through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope micrographs to examine the morphology between PBAT and SiO₂ NPs. In addition, the results of SEM acquired are in SiO₂ agreement with the data resulting from FTIR and tensile strength of the nanocomposites. The nanocomposite shows improvement in mechanical and thermal stability than that of pure PBAT.