Abstract
In this paper, sugar palm nanocellulose fibre-reinforced thermoplastic starch (TPS)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) blend bionanocomposites were prepared using melt blending and compression moulding with different TPS concentrations (20%, 30%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) and constant sugar palm nanocellulose fibres (0.5%). The physical, mechanical, thermal, and water barrier properties were investigated. The SEM images indicated different TPS loading effects with the morphology of the blend bionanocomposites due to their immiscibility. A high content of TPS led to agglomeration, while a lower content resulted in the presence of cracks and voids. The 20% TPS loading reduced the tensile strength from 49.08 to 19.45 MPa and flexural strength from 79.60 to 35.38 MPa. The thermal stability of the blend bionanocomposites was reduced as the TPS loading increased. The thickness swelling, which corresponded to the water absorption, demonstrated an increasing trend with the increased addition of TPS loading.
Highlights
A huge accumulation of plastic waste has resulted in a negative impact on the environment due to their non-biodegradable properties [1,2]
Sugar palm starch was obtained from sugar palm trees located in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
3500 cm−1, which indicated the presence of O–H groups in starch, glycerol, and cellulose fibre associated with free, inter, and intramolecular bound hydroxyl groups
Summary
A huge accumulation of plastic waste has resulted in a negative impact on the environment due to their non-biodegradable properties [1,2]. Plastic products made from synthetics have been used in many industries like the automotive sector, food packaging, furniture, aerospace, defence, electronics, communication, and building construction [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. These materials have excellent properties: high mechanical strength and stiffness, good chemical and thermal resistances, and impressive barrier properties. The most common method is by plasticising starch to reduce intermolecular forces and increase the mobility of polymer chains [16,17]
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