Impact Strength and Water Uptake Behavior of Bleached Kraft Softwood-Reinforced PLA Composites as Alternative to PP-Based Materials

The research toward environmentally friendly materials has devoted a great effort on composites based on natural fiber-reinforced biopolymers. These materials have shown noticeable mechanical properties, mainly tensile and flexural strengths, as a consequence of increasingly strong interfaces. Previ...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Oliver Ortega, Helena, Tarrés Farrés, Joaquim Agustí, Mutjé Pujol, Pere, Delgado Aguilar, Marc, Méndez González, José Alberto, Espinach Orús, Xavier
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/21326
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/21326
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Polímers
Polymers
Biopolímers
Biopolymers
Fibres naturals
Plant fibers
Description
Summary:The research toward environmentally friendly materials has devoted a great effort on composites based on natural fiber-reinforced biopolymers. These materials have shown noticeable mechanical properties, mainly tensile and flexural strengths, as a consequence of increasingly strong interfaces. Previous studies have shown a good interface between natural fibers and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) when these fibers present a low lignin content in their surface chemical composition (bleached fibers). Nonetheless, one of the main drawbacks of these materials is the hydrophilicity of the reinforcements in front of the mineral ones like glass fiber. Meanwhile, the behavior of such materials under impact is also of importance to evaluate its usefulness. This research evaluates the water uptake behavior and the impact strength of bleached Kraft softwood-reinforced PLA composites that have been reported to show noticeable tensile and flexural properties. The paper explores the differences between these bio-based materials and commodity composites like glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene