Morphology and thermal degradation studies of melt-mixed poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) biodegradable polymer blend nanocomposites with TiO2 as filler (original) (raw)

The morphology, thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics of melt-mixed poly(hydroxybutyrateco-valerate) (PHBV)/poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) blends filled with small amounts of titanium(IV)oxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were investigated. The nanoparticles were mostly well dispersed in both phases of the PHBV/PCL blend, which showed a co-continuous morphology at a 50/50 w/w ratio, but some large agglomerates were also observed. The equal dispersion of the TiO 2 nanoparticles in both polymers was attributed to the polymers having the same surface properties, polarities and viscosities. The