Silane Modification of Sepiolite for Using in Nanocomposite based on Poly (lactic acid)

The growing interest in using sepiolite as a reinforcement of polymer-based composites is mainly due to its needle-likeshape [1, 2]. It is believed, this fibrous nanofiller can be moreeasily dispersed in polymeric matrices because of its lower specific surface area compared with platelet-like clays of thesame aspect ratio. The relatively small contact surface and hence the reduced tendencies to agglomerate, could then lead to a better mechanical reinforcement of needle-like clays [3].However, modification of this particle for better dispersion and enhancement of rheological behaviour of polymericnanocomposites is recommended [4]. The main objective of this work was focused on the silane modification of sepiolite for using in poly (lactic acid) matrix.The quality of silane modification was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA).