Structure and performance of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate-co-L-lactate) blend reinforced with rice husk and coconut shell filler

2020 ◽  
pp. 096739112095404
Author(s):  
John Olabode Akindoyo ◽  
Nur Atikah Aliah binti Husney ◽  
Nurul Hidayah Ismail ◽  
Mustapha Mariatti

Reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate- co-L-lactate) (PBSL) blend was prepared. Two different fillers namely coconut shell (CS) and rice husk (RH) were used as reinforcement for the PLA-PBSL blend at different filler content (0–10 wt%) and their effects on the blend was investigated. Tensile test results showed that 7.5 wt% filler is the optimum filler loading for both filler types. The comparative performance of composites prepared using the optimum filler loading was further investigated. At the same filler loading, CS performs better than RH in terms of strength, crystallization, and water absorption properties of the blends. Specifically, the tensile strength of CS reinforced blend increased by 195% compared to RH (145%). Likewise, the CS blend has a crystallinity index ( X DSC) of 52% compared to 45% of RH which aligns with observations from the X-ray diffraction analysis. However, thermogravimetric analysis revealed that RH reinforced blend is more thermally stable than CS reinforced blends. This study reveals that the two fillers can desirably enhance the performance of PLA/PBSL blends, especially to produce environmentally friendly products. However, CS could offer better performance over RH especially where better mechanical strength, improved crystallization and low water absorption are desired.

MRS Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (47) ◽  
pp. 2545-2550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Betancourt ◽  
Duncan E. Cree

ABSTRACTPoly (lactic acid) (PLA) bioplastics are recyclable and biodegradable thermoplastics. They are derived from environmentally friendly sources such as potatoes, cornstarch and sugarcane. However, PLA is inherently brittle with low impact strength. The goal of this study is to improve mechanical properties of PLA by the addition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fillers. PLA composites were prepared by injection molding conventional limestone (LS) and white chicken eggshell (WES) powders with particle sizes of 63 μm and 32 μm in amounts of 5 wt. %, 10 wt. % and 20 wt. %. Mechanical properties such as, tensile strength, tensile modulus, and Charpy impact strengths were investigated. These three properties were evaluated and the results statistically analyzed using ANOVA F-test. For both particle sizes, the tensile strength decreased as the filler content increased, but was highest for a filler loading of 5 wt. %. In general, the 32 μm powder fillers had better tensile strengths than 63 μm sized fillers. The tensile modulus increased with filler content and was highest at 20 wt. % for both particle sizes. The LS/PLA composites had better toughness than the WES/PLA composites. The particle filler morphology and fractured surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined to have well dispersed particles with smooth fractured surfaces. Water absorption behavior of PLA/CaCO3 composites were studied by immersion in distilled water at room temperature for 56 days. Virgin PLA absorbed the least amount of water while the water absorption of CaCO3 composites were a function of powder type and content.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2531
Author(s):  
Rodion Kopitzky

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a residue available in large quantities from the sugar industry, and can serve as a cost-effective bio-based and biodegradable filler for fully bio-based compounds based on bio-based polyesters. The heterogeneous cell structure of sugar beet suggests that the processing of SBP can affect the properties of the composite. An “Ultra-Rotor” type air turbulence mill was used to produce SBP particles of different sizes. These particles were processed in a twin-screw extruder with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and fillers to granules for possible marketable formulations. Different screw designs, compatibilizers and the use of glycerol as a thermoplasticization agent for SBP were also tested. The spherical, cubic, or ellipsoidal-like shaped particles of SBP are not suitable for usage as a fiber-like reinforcement. In addition, the fineness of ground SBP affects the mechanical properties because (i) a high proportion of polar surfaces leads to poor compatibility, and (ii) due to the inner structure of the particulate matter, the strength of the composite is limited to the cohesive strength of compressed sugar-cell compartments of the SBP. The compatibilization of the polymer–matrix–particle interface can be achieved by using compatibilizers of different types. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fracture patterns show that the compatibilization can lead to both well-bonded particles and cohesive fracture patterns in the matrix. Nevertheless, the mechanical properties are limited by the impact and elongation behavior. Therefore, the applications of SBP-based composites must be well considered.


2015 ◽  
Vol 133 (8) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Weraporn Pivsa-Art ◽  
Kazunori Fujii ◽  
Keiichiro Nomura ◽  
Yuji Aso ◽  
Hitomi Ohara ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuhananthan Nanthakumar ◽  
Chan Ming Yeng ◽  
Koay Seong Chun

This research covers the preparation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/sugarcane leaves fibre (SLF) biofilms via a solvent-casting method. The results showed that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. Nevertheless, the elongation at break showed an opposite trend as compared to tensile strength and Young’s modulus of biofilms. Moreover, water absorption properties of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. In contrast, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of biofilms were enhanced after bleaching treatment with hydrogen peroxide on SLF, but the elongation at break and water absorption properties of bleached biofilms were reduced due to the improvement of filler–matrix adhesion in biofilms. The tensile and water properties were further discussed using B-factor and Fick’s law, respectively. Furthermore, the functional groups of unbleached and bleached SLF were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis.


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