Effect of fiber loading on mechanical and water absorption capacity of Polylactic acid/Polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate/Kenaf composite

Natural fibers have been found to be excellent reinforcing materials for preparing polymer matrix based composites. Environmental concerns also have resulted in replacing petrochemically derived polymer with the biodegradable renewable resource. In this study, mechanical properties and water absorption of polylactic acid (PLA)/ polyhydroxybutyrate co-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBHH) matrix with blending ratio 75: 25 and its composites reinforced with fibers of kenaf have been studied. The composites, with different fiber loading (10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) were prepared by melt blending techniques using an internal mixer at 50 rpm and 165 degrees C for 8 minutes followed by a hot compression moulding technique. The results showed that tensile strength and modulus increased with increasing of fiber content. The water absorption behavior of biocomposites as a function of days was also investigated. It was found that the water absorption amount of biocomposites increased with increasing of fiber content and exposure time. It can be summarized that the recent developments in PLA/PHBHH/Kenaf show highly promising perspectives for the replacement of traditional petrochemical based polymers in applications such automotive to encourage materials degradation.