Mechanical properties and biodegradability of flax fiber-reinforced composite of polylactide and polycaprolactone

Abstract

The aim of this work was to produce a composite based on the blend of polylactide and polycaprolactone and reinforced with flax fiber, intended for processing by injection molding, with improved mechanical and biodegradation properties as compared to neat polylactide (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). The material was prepared by mixing PLA, PCL and flax fibers (about 5 mm long), extrusion and granulation with subsequent injection molding to obtain test samples. The composites differed in the content of PCL (0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 wt %) whereas the content of flax fibers was kept constant (20 wt %). The samples were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile and impact strength measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Biodegradation studies were carried out using proteinase K at laboratory conditions. It was found that a reduction of fiber lengths took place during the extrusion process and that addition of flax fibers to PLA/PCL blend resulted in an increase in elastic modulus and biodegradation rate. The composite impact strength was significantly improved at 30 wt % PCL fraction.