Improvement of Interfacial Adhesion and Thermomechanical Properties of PLA Based Composites with Wheat/Rice Bran

The present work aims to enhance the use of agricultural byproducts for the production of bio-composites by melt extrusion. It is well known that in the production of such bio-composites, the weak point is the filler-matrix interface, for this reason the adhesion between a polylactic acid (PLA)/poly(butylene succinate)(PBSA) blend and rice and wheat bran platelets was enhanced by a treatment method applied on the fillers using a suitable beeswax. Moreover, the coupling action of beeswax and inorganic fillers (such as talc and calcium carbonate) were investigated to improve the thermo-mechanical properties of the final composites. Through rheological (MFI), morphological (SEM), thermal (TGA, DSC), mechanical (Tensile, Impact), thermomechanical (HDT) characterizations and the application of analytical models, the optimum among the tested formulations was then selected.

Automated summary

This study aims to enhance the use of agricultural byproducts for the production of bio-composites through melt extrusion. The adhesion between a polylactic acid/poly(butylene succinate) blend and rice and wheat bran platelets was improved by treating the fillers with beeswax. The coupling action of beeswax and inorganic fillers was also investigated for improving the thermo-mechanical properties of the composites. The optimal formulation was selected based on various characterizations and analytical models.