Evaluation of the Mechanical and Biocidal Properties of Lapacho from Tabebuia Plant as a Biocomposite Material.

Magdalena Stepczyńska,Krzysztof Moraczewski,Alona Pawłowska,Andrzej Trafarski,Maciej Walczak,Piotr Rytlewski,Daria Olkiewicz

doi:10.3390/ma14154241

Magdalena Stepczyńska, Krzysztof Moraczewski + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154241

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Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss in detail the physicochemical properties of polylactide (PLA) reinforced by cortex fibers, which may cause bacterial mortality and increased biodegradation rates. PLA biocomposites containing cortex Lapacho fibers from Tabebuia (1–10 wt%) were prepared by extrusion and injection moulding processes. The effects of Lapacho on the mechanical and biocidal properties of the biocomposites were studied using tensile and impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), and the method of evaluating the antibacterial activity of antibacterial treated according to the standard ISO 22196:2011. It also presented the effects of Lapacho on the structural properties and biodegradation rates of biocomposites. This research study provides very important results complementing the current state of knowledge about the biocidal properties of Lapacho from Tabebuia plants and about cortex-reinforced biocomposites.

Highlights

The demand for polymeric materials of novel properties grows together with both the economic development and the continuous technological progress
The results showed that the addition of natural fibers was ineffective to improve the brittleness of the biocomposites
The decrease of the impact strength of the biocomposites was effected from the poor interfacial adhesion between the cortex fibers and the matrix, as is shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images.The interfacial adhesion strength between the cortex fibers and the matrix affected the impact property of the biocomposites, because the impact energy was dissipated by debonding, cortex, and/or matrix breakage and the cortex fibers were pulled outwards

Summary

Introduction

The demand for polymeric materials of novel properties grows together with both the economic development and the continuous technological progress. A constantly rising amount of plastic waste that loads an natural environment, law regulations, and diminishing resources of petroleum have resulted in increasing interest in biodegradable materials and their modification. Biodegradable materials are commonly considered as future polymers, mainly because they are plastics undergoing rapid biodegradation under conditions of industrial composting. The rapid development of specialized applications of polymeric materials in various areas of technology and other aspects of life poses greater and greater qualitative requirements. The common use of these materials implies larger and larger loads of the natural environment, which is increasing because of growing mass of used-up plastic waste. The introduction of mass-scale application of biodegradable polymers appears necessary

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