Bamboo fiber strengthened poly(lactic acid) composites with enhanced interfacial compatibility through a multi-layered coating of synergistic treatment strategy

In this study, a mild and eco-friendly synergistic treatment strategy was investigated to improve the interfacial compatibility of bamboo fibers with poly(lactic acid). The characterization results in terms of the chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal properties, and water resistance properties demonstrated a homogeneous dispersion and excellent interfacial compatibility of the treated composites. The excellent interfacial compati-bility is due to multi-layered coating of bamboo fibers using synergistic treatment involving dilute alkali pre-treatment, polydopamine coating and silane coupling agent modification. The composites obtained using the proposed synergistic treatment strategy exhibited excellent mechanical properties. Optimal mechanical prop-erties were observed for composites with synergistically treated bamboo fiber mass proportion of 20 %. The tensile strength, elongation at break and tensile modulus of the treated composites were increased by 63.06 %, 183.04 % and 259.04 %, respectively, compared to the untreated composites. This synergistic treatment strategy and the remarkable performance of the treated composites have a wide range of applicability in bio-composites (such as industrial packaging, automotive lightweight interiors, and consumer goods).

Automated summary

In this study, a mild and eco-friendly synergistic treatment strategy was utilized to enhance the interfacial compatibility of bamboo fibers with poly(lactic acid). The treated composites exhibited homogeneous dispersion and excellent interfacial compatibility, as confirmed through characterization of chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal properties, and water resistance properties. The proposed synergistic treatment involving dilute alkali pre-treatment, polydopamine coating, and silane coupling agent modification resulted in a multi-layered coating of bamboo fibers, leading to the superior mechanical properties of the composites. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile modulus of the treated composites were significantly improved compared to the untreated composites, indicating the potential applicability of this synergistic treatment strategy in various bio-composite applications.