Abstract
High strength application of biopolymers requires good mechanical strength. The tensile properties of polylactic acid (PLA) are relatively low for major industrial applications such as packaging, biomedical and automobile spare parts. In this study, the mechanical strength of polylactic acid was enhanced with nanocarbon isolated from diesel engine combustion soot. The isolated nanocarbon was characterised using spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. After that, the nanocarbon was used as a reinforcement in plasticised PLA to produce a composite. The PLA-nanocarbon composite was produced using the compression moulding technique. The nanocarbon composition was varied between 2 wt% and 8 wt% in the PLA matrix. The tensile, hardness and morphological properties of the composite were analysed with the tensile test, hardness test, optical microscope and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer and FTIR analysis results confirmed the successful isolation of nanocarbon from the diesel engine combustion soot. The tensile and hardness properties of the PLA matrix increased with addition of nanocarbon. The morphological images showed good miscibility between the PLA and the nanocarbon reinforcement, responsible for the increase in mechanical properties. The potential use of the composite for high strength application showed great possibility based on the result obtained.
Highlights
Synthetic polymers have been used for several applications, such as automobiles, packaging, and biomedical engineering.[1–3] the global increase in plastic waste pollution has resulted in biodegradable polymers as an alternative for such an application.[4]
Silicon oil was used for lubrication during the moulding and dioctyl phthalate (DOP) plasticiser was used as a compatibiliser for good fluidity of the mixture
The samples were tested for hardness with standard ISO 868.27 The morphology of the control sample and the polylactic acid (PLA)/Carbon nanoparticle (CNP) composites were observed with the aid of an optical OMAX microscope (S7M7045/SZM7045TR, Omax, Yeonggi-do, Korea) with a camera specification of 14 MP
Summary
Synthetic polymers have been used for several applications, such as automobiles, packaging, and biomedical engineering.[1–3] the global increase in plastic waste pollution has resulted in biodegradable polymers as an alternative for such an application.[4]. Synthetic polymers have been used for several applications, such as automobiles, packaging, and biomedical engineering.[1–3]. Biopolymers generally have low mechanical strength, which reduced their suitability for industrial applications such as packaging, automobile interior and tissue repair.[6–8]. Nanoparticles are used as fillers and nanofibres as reinforcement in biopolymers to enhance their mechanical strength. Carbon nanoparticle (CNP) and cellulose nanofibre have been used as fillers and reinforcement of biopolymers, respectively. Many researchers have studied PLA for potential application in packaging, biomedical and automobile interior parts.[11,13,14]. PLA based blend or reinforcement has been used for several biodegradable applications but not often for automobile parts because of its mechanical strength.[15,16]. CNP was isolated with a modified method and used as reinforcement in a plasticised PLA matrix. The miscibility of the polymer mix was enhanced with plasticiser and the morphological enhancement studied
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