Effect of Carbon Nanotube on the Mechanical Properties of Compatibilized Polylactic Acid/Natural Rubber Blend

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA)/ Natural rubber (NR) in the presence of PLA grafted Maleic Anhydride (PLAGMA) as compatibilizer was prepared by the melting blend method. In attempt to achieve high performance of the blend, nanocomposites were formed by incorporating different ratio of carbon nanotube (CNT) in PLA/NR/PLAGMA blend. The effect of CNT content on mechanical properties was investigated. With increasing CNT content, Young’s modulus and flexural modulus were increased firstly and then decreased as CNT was further added. In other hand, impact strength was dropped as expected as the CNT loading was increased.