Electrical and Optical Properties of Silicon OxideLignin Polylactide (SiO2-L-PLA)

This paper presents a study on the electrical properties of new polylactide-basednanocomposites with the addition of silicon-dioxide-lignin nanoparticles and glycerine as a plasticizer.Four samples were prepared with nanoparticle mass fractions ranging between 0.01 to 0.15(0.01, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15), and three samples were prepared without nanoparticle filler-unfilledand unprocessed polylactide, unfilled and processed polylactide, and polylactide with Fusabondand glycerine. All samples were manufactured using the melt mixing extrusion techniqueand injection molding. Only the unfilled and unprocessed PLA sample was directly preparedby injection molding. Dielectric properties were studied with broadband spectroscopy in a frequencyrange from 0.1 Hz to 1 MHz in 55 steps designed on a logarithmic scale and a temperature rangefrom 293.15 to 333.15 K with a 5 K step. Optical properties of nanocomposites were measuredwith UV-VIS spectroscopy at wavelengths from 190 to 1100 nm. The experimental data show thatthe addition of silicon-dioxide-lignin and glycerine significantly affected the electrical propertiesof the studied nanocomposites based on polylactide. Permittivity and electrical conductivity showa significant increase with an increasing concentration of nanoparticle filler. The optical properties arealso affected by nanofiller and cause an increase in absorbance as the number of silicon-dioxide-ligninnanoparticles increase.