Open Access

ARTICLE

Biocomposites of Flax Fiber and Polylactic Acid: Processing and Properties

by

1 Department of Chemical Engineering and CERMA, 1065 Avenue de la Médecine, Room 0580, Université Laval, Quebec, Qc, Canada, G1V 0A6
2 Department of Chemical Engineering and CERMA, 1065 Avenue de la Médecine, Room 3546, Université Laval, Quebec, Qc, Canada, G1V 0A6

* Corresponding Author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2014, 2(4), 270-277. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2014.634127

Received 22 August 2014; Accepted 17 November 2014;

Abstract

This work investigates the effect of the addition of fl ax fi ber (15, 25, and 40 wt%) on the mechanical, morphological, rheological, and thermal properties of polylactic acid (PLA). In the fi rst step, no coupling agent was used to produce fully biodegradable and biobased composites. In particular, fl exural tests were performed on the composites to evaluate their mechanical properties, while density, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and rheological tests were also carried out. Scanning electron microscopy images (SEM) show good fl ax fi ber dispersion in the PLA matrix along with good contact between both phases, leading to improved stress transfer. Based on the results obtained, the addition of 40 wt% fl ax fi ber resulted in a 142% increase in fl exural modulus. It was also found that fl ax fi ber signifi cantly decreased the glass transition, crystallization, and melting temperatures of PLA.

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Keywords

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