Investigation on Mechanical and Thermal Behaviours of PBAT/PLA Blend Reinforced with Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets

The aim of this study was to process and investigate the changes in the mechanical and morphological properties of the biodegradable nanocomposites based on polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend (PBAT/PLA blend) due to the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets. The biodegradable polymeric nanocomposites were prepared by melting extrusion process using a twin-screw extruder machine. The influence of the RGO nanosheets incorporation on mechanical and thermal properties of PBAT/PLA blend was investigated by tensile Thermogravimetric (TG), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile test analysis. Results showed that incorporation of the small amount of RGO (0.1 wt.%) of RGO nanosheets in the blend matrix of PBAT/PLA resulted in an important gain of mechanical properties of the blend. This result indicates that a very small amount of RGO nanosheets addition in the PBAT/PLA can lead to obtaining materials with superior properties suitable for several industrial applications.