Abstract
Biocomposites with a corn starch-based biodegradable polymer as matrix and 10 wt% vegetable curaua fiber were processed by injection molding and were submitted to reprocessing up to ten cycles with or without 3 wt% of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene as coupling agent. The effect of reprocessing on hardness, impact and tensile properties as well as on the morphology, thermal properties, chemical structure and soil degradation behaviour of the matrix and biocomposites was evaluated. Curaua fibers have increased hardness, impact and tensile strengths as well as increased tensile modulus and decreased elongation at break of the biocomposites with respect to starch-based matrix and these properties slightly decreased or no considerable changes were observed with the reprocessing cycle increase. The addition of coupling agent promoted an increase in all properties and they remained almost constant with the reprocessing cycle increase. Thus, the incorporation of curaua fiber within starch-based matrix can improve the mechanical properties of the biocomposites which showed potential to be recycled despite the weight loss in soil degradation tests reached around 10 wt% after 230 days for biocomposites reprocessed ten cycles.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.