Preparation, Performance, and Kinetics of Poly(Lactic‐Acid)/Amidated Benzoic Acid Intercalated Layered Double Hydroxides Nanocomposites by Reactive Extrusion Process

Poly(lactic acid)/amidated benzoic acid intercalated layered double hydroxides (PLA/AB‐LDH) nanocomposites were synthesized by reactive extrusion process using zinc acetate, L‐lactide, and AB‐LDH, in which the zinc acetate was severed as catalyst, L‐lactide as raw material and AB‐LDH as nucleating agent. The prepared PLA/AB‐LDH nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and so on. The test results showed that PLA/AB‐LDH nanocomposites had α‐crystal structure. The analysis results of mechanical test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and polarized optical microscopy (POM) demonstrated that the toughness, crystallinity, crystallization rate, and nucleation density of PLA/AB‐LDH nanocomposites had been significantly enhanced. In addition, the thermal degradation kinetics further indicated that AB‐LDH could improve the thermal stability of PLA significantly. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:2668–2680, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers