The poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) biodegradable composites reinforced with jute fibers were developed. The effect of fiber content (10-60wt%) on the properties and water absorption of jute/PBS biodegradable composites was studied. The effect of alkali, silane, and combined alkali and silane surface treatment on the properties and water absorption of jute/PBS composites was investigated. The mechanical properties of surface treated jute/ PBS composites were significantly higher than those of untreated ones. Compared with alkali or silane treatment, the combined alkali and silane surface treatment showed better mechanical properties of jute/PBS composites. The best mechanical properties of jute/PBS composites were achieved at 50wt% in this study, which showed an increase in tensile strength by 517.9%, tensile modulus by 3529.8%, flexural strength by 302.6%, and flexural modulus by 1949.1% compared with those of PBS resin. Fractured surface morphologies of composite specimens exhibited an improvement of interfacial fiber-matrix adhesion in the composites reinforced with surface-treated jute fibers. The surface-treated jute/PBS composites having good fiber-matrix adhesion resulted in stable composites with better thermal stability than untreated jute/PBS composites. The water absorption amount of the composites increased with increasing the fiber content. The surface-treated jute/PBS composites showed relatively lower water absorption behavior compared to untreated ones.
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