Abstract
Biocomposites of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from cassava pulp were successfully prepared by melt mixing in an internal mixer. CNFs were prepared from cassava pulp by submitting to alkali hydrolysis, bleaching treatment, and acid hydrolysis. The compatibility between CNFs and PLA matrix was improved using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafted PLA (PLA-g-GMA) as an effective compatibilizer. Higher elongation at break and impact strength of PLA/PLA-g-GMA/CNFs biocomposites was achieved compared to that of neat PLA. PLA-g-GMA shows a strong effect on the crystallization behavior of the biocomposites. The PLA/PLA-g-GMA/CNFs biocomposites induce cold crystallization to take place at lower temperature. Higher degree of crystallinity of PLA/PLA-g-GMA/CNFs biocomposites was obtained compared to PLA/CNFs biocomposites. The mechanical and thermal properties of PLA/CNFs biocomposites at various ratios were investigated. With increasing CNFs contents, the modulus of the biocomposites increases. Thermal stability of PLA/CNFs and PLA/PLA-g-GMA/CNFs biocomposites did not change significantly compared to that of neat PLA.
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