Preparation of PLA/nanoclay nano-composites
Prior to mixing, PLA was dried in a vacuum oven at 80°C for 5 h. Nanocomposites contained 1, 2, 5 and 10% nanoclay were obtained by melt blending using an internal mixer (HAAKE Polylab OS system) with a mixing time of 4 min, 100 rpm at 170 °C. The batch was extracted from the mixing chamber manually, allowed to cool to room temperature in air and subsequently granulated. The PLA/nanoclay nano-composites