INVESTIGATION OF THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES AND DIE SWELL OF POLYLACTIC ACID/NANOCLAY COMPOSITES IN A CAPILLARY RHEOMETER

摘要

The purpose of this research was to investigate the rheological behavior and extrudate swell of polylactic acid (PLA) filled with a nanoclay. The effects of the amount of nanoclay and surface treatment were studied by a capillary rheometer. The dispersion of the nanoclay was inspected by using the scanning electron microscopy. Generally, PLAanoclay composites exhibited a pseudoplastic rheological behavior as the shear stress and die swell increased with increasing shear rate. However, the shear viscosity decreased. The die swell also increased with increasing shear stress. The elongation viscosity decreased with increasing elongation rate. The incorporation of nanoclay decreased the shear stress and shear viscosity to a lesser degree than the elongation viscosity.