Thermomechanical and optical properties of biodegradable poly(L‐lactide)/silica nanocomposites by melt compounding

Poly( L ‐lactide) (PLA)/silica (SiO 2 ) nanocomposites containing 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt % SiO 2 nanoparticles were prepared by melt compounding in a Haake mixer. The phase morphology, thermomechanical properties, and optical transparency were investigated and compared to those of neat PLA. Scanning electron microscopy results show that the SiO 2 nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the PLA matrix for filler contents below 5 wt %, whereas...