Physicochemical properties of the electron beam irradiated bamboo powder and its bio-composites with PLA

The high cost and low toughness of Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) are the main drawbacks of PLA which limit its commercial applications. However, the cost of PLA can be reduced by incorporating it with various bio-based low-priced fillers. The bamboo powder (BP), lignocellulosic biomass, is promising green filler since it has high cellulose contents and no competition with food. However, its poor compatibility with the polymers reduces the mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Hence, this work investigates the electron beam irradiation pretreatment of bamboo powders. Further, the electron beam irradiated bamboo powder was blended with PLA in two different concentrations (5% and 10%) along with epoxide silane (3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane) as a compatibilizer. The FT-IR, XRD, and TG/DTA analyses revealed that the irradiation demolishes aliphatic and aromatic moieties of bamboo powder followed by the formation of free radicals. The reduction in the intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonding among these moieties are also asserted. Moreover, mechanical and thermal properties of PLA/electron beam irradiated bamboo powder (PLA/EBP) composites are tested and obtained results have shown the improvement in the notched impact strength as well as stability in other mechanical and thermal properties. The compatibility and dispersion of the electron beam irradiated bamboo powder in the PLA matrix were analyzed by SEM studies. The hydrolytic degradation test of prepared composites was also performed.