The hypothesis that the incorporation of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) into low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends could lead to materials with mechanical and flow properties close to those of pure LDPE but with improved potential biodegradability, was investigated. A 50 wt.%/50 wt.% LDPE/TPS blend was prepared via extrusion and injection molding, by using different HNT contents up to 8 wt.%. The obtained nanocomposite structure and properties was investigated. The SEM images and EDS analyses indicated that the HNTs were preferentially located within the starch-rich phases of the blend. Moreover, the addition of 8 wt.% HNTs to the LDPE/TPS blend promoted a pronounced enhancement in mechanical properties with respect to those of the original blend, leading to properties resembling those of pure LDPE. The results suggest that nanocomposites can be interesting candidates for the replacement of LDPE in applications in which the biodegradability of the proposed blend can reduce the environmental impact of traditional LDPE short-life products.

研究了将埃洛石纳米管（HNTs）掺入低密度聚乙烯（LDPE）/热塑性淀粉（TPS）混合物中的假设，可导致材料的机械和流动性能接近纯LDPE，但潜在的生物降解性得到改善。通过使用高达8重量％的不同HNT含量，通过挤出和注射成型制备50重量％/ 50重量％的LDPE / TPS共混物。研究了获得的纳米复合材料的结构和性能。SEM图像和EDS分析表明，HNT优先位于共混物的富含淀粉相内。此外，相对于原始共混物的那些，向LDPE / TPS共混物中添加8重量％的HNT促进了机械性能的显着增强，从而导致了与纯LDPE相似的性能。