Synthesis of Aluminum Phosphate-Coated Halloysite Nanotubes: Effects on Morphological, Mechanical, and Rheological Properties of PEO/PBAT Blends

Polymer blending has been widely used to fabricate polymeric films in the last decade due to its superior properties to a single component. In this study, an aluminum phosphate-coated halloysite nanotube (HNTs@AlPO(4)) was fabricated using a one-pot heterogeneous precipitation method, organically modified HNTs@AlPO(4) (o-HNTs@AlPO(4)) was used to improve the performance of polyethylene oxide/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PEO/PBAT) blends, and the mechanical and rheological properties of the PEO/PBAT/o-HNTs@AlPO(4) films were systematically discussed. According to our results, there is an optimal addition for adequate AlPO(4) nanoparticle dispersion and coating on the surface of HNTs, and organic modification could improve the interfacial compatibility of HNTs@AlPO(4) and the polymeric matrix. Moreover, o-HNTs@AlPO(4) may serve as a compatibilizer between PEO and PBAT, and PEO/PBAT/o-HNTs@AlPO(4) films have better mechanical and rheological properties than the PEO/PBAT blends without the o-HNTs@AlPO(4) component.