the effect of the hybrid presence of two nanoparticles on improving the toughness of pla/nr eco-friendly blend

Poly(lactic acid) is one of the most promising biodegradable polymers which is produced from renewable resources, brittleness and low impact strength limit its applications. in the present study, poly (lactic acid)/natural rubber (pla/nr) blends and their nanocomposites with organo clay and calcium carbonate nanoparticles were successfully prepared via melt blending in an internal mixer, followed by compression molding. the tensile test and notched izod impact test were performed on the samples. the obtained results of the tensile test showed the synergistic effect of the use of two mentioned nanoparticles in the pla/nr blend. so that the simultaneous use of optimal amounts of each of the two nanoparticles in the pla/nr blend, increased the elongation at break up to 22 times that of neat pla. the impact test results also confirmed the improvement of toughness with the presence of nanoparticles and especially with the simultaneous presence of two nanoparticles.