Bio-based PA5.10 for Industrial Applications: Improvement of Barrier and Thermo-mechanical Properties with Rice Husk Ash and Nanoclay

Composites consisting of renewable PA5.10 were obtained from melt compounding with a modified clay (CL) and/or a by-product obtained from the combustion of rice husk (RHA). Two different industrialized lab-scale machines were used to obtain the final shape: a film extrusion machine and an injection moulding apparatus. The industrial application requirements for polyamides generally need good barrier properties and high thermo-mechanical strength. Considering the barrier properties, the CL was able to decrease the oxygen permeability to less than half with respect to neat PA5.10. DMTA demonstrated that the addition of RHA caused a consistent enhancement (+ 46 °C) in the heat deflection temperature (HDT) compared to the neat PA5.10 matrix, increasing the possible areas of interest. Furthermore, the simultaneous presence of RHA and CL provided the best result reaching an extraordinary HDT of 131 °C. A complete discussion taking into account the morphology, crystallinity and filler-matrix adhesion evaluation was reported as well as comparison of performances with other bio-PAs composites. These two fillers can therefore be used separated or together combined in PA5.10 for functional purposes in a sustainable scenario.