Selwin Maria Sekar¹, Rajini Nagarajan^1,*, Ponsuriyaprakash Selvakumar², Ismail Sikiru Oluwarotimi³, Kumar Krishnan⁴, Faruq Mohammad⁵, Mohammed Rafi Shaik⁵, Nadir Ayrilmis^6,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.8, pp. 1455-1474, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.052952 - 06 September 2024

Abstract An innovative microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) natural fibre powder-reinforced PLA biocomposite was investigated using the hand lay-up technique. The polymer matrix composite (PMC) samples were prepared by varying the weight percentages (wt.%) of both PLA matrix and MCC reinforcement: pure PLA/100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50 wt.%, respectively. From the results obtained, MCC powder, with its impressive aspect ratio, proved to be an ideal reinforcement for the PLA, exhibiting exceptional mechanical properties. It was evident that the 80:20 wt.% biocomposite sample exhibited the maximum improvement in the tensile, flexural, notched impact, compressive strength and hardness… More >

A. MADHAN KUMAR¹, K. JAYAKUMAR^2,*, M. SHALINI³

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.39, No.3-4, pp. 269-281, 2022, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2022.39.3-4.7

Abstract Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most popular thermoplastic biopolymer providing a stiffness and strength alternative to fossil-based plastics. It is also the most promising biodegradable polymer on the market right now, thus gaining a substitute for conservative artificial polymers. Therefore, the current research focuses on synthesizing and mechanical characterization of particlereinforced PLA composites. The hot compression molding technique was used to fabricate PLA-based composites with 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 weight % of sawdust, rice husk, and bagasse particle reinforcements to enhance the performance of the PLA. The pellets of PLA matrix were taken with… More >

Nataša Knez¹, Mirko Kariž², Friderik Knez¹, Nadir Ayrilmis^3,*, Manja Kitek Kuzman^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.11, pp. 1883-1895, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016128 - 04 June 2021

Abstract The effects of selected printing parameters on the fire properties of additively produced composites from neat polylactic acid (PLA) and wood/PLA filaments were investigated. The reaction to fire of the 3D-printed specimens was tested according to the ISO 5660-1 cone calorimeter test method. The results showed that the properties of the specimens when exposed to fire were significantly affected by the incorporation of wood flour into the PLA filament. It was also interesting that PLA specimens had much better reactions to fire than the wood/PLA specimens. Time to ignition was found to be much longer More >