In recent years, from an environmental perspective, there has been increasing interest in the change to a sustainable society. The use of natural-fiber-reinforced biodegradable composites has been proposed as one solution. Bamboo is an often used renewable bio-resource; it has an inherent advantage of rapid growth. Polybutylene succinate ( PBS ), used as matrix resin, has biodegradable characteristics. This paper describes flexural properties of bamboo/ PBS composites prepared by injection molding. The following results were obtained. The flexural modulus was improved with increasing bamboo powder contents when the cylinder temperature of the injection molder was 140°C. However, the flexural strength showed the opposite tendency to be decreased with increasing bamboo powder contents. An SEM photomicrograph of the fracture surface for bamboo/ PBS composites showed typical fracture behavior of pull-out fibers without fiber fracture. Furthermore, there was no adhesion of PBS resin on the bamboo fiber surface. Processing conditions affected mechanical properties of bamboo/ PBS composites, imparting higher flexural strength and flexural modulus at high cylinder temperatures such as 180°C and 200°C.
