Facile Preparation and Characterization of Short-Fiber and Talc Reinforced Poly(Lactic Acid) Hybrid Composite with In Situ Reactive Compatibilizers

Abstract

Hybrid composites of fillers and/or fibers reinforced polymer was generally produced by masterbatch dilution technique. In this work, the simplified preparation was introduced for the large volume production of 30 wt % short-fiber and talcum reinforced polymer hybrid composite by direct feeding into twin-screw extruder. Multifunctional epoxide-based terpolymer and/or maleic anhydride were selected as in situ reactive compatibilizers. The influence of fiber and talcum ratios and in situ reactive compatibilizers on mechanical, dynamic mechanical, morphological and thermal properties of hybrid composites were investigated. The morphological results showed the strong interfacial adhesion between fiber or talcum and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix due to a better compatibility by reaction of in situ compatibilizer. The reactive PLA hybrid composite showed the higher tensile strength and the elongation at break than non-compatibilized hybrid composite without sacrificing the tensile modulus. Upon increasing the talcum contents, the modulus and storage modulus of hybrid composites were also increased while the tensile strength and elongation at break were slightly decreased compared to PLA/fiber composite. Talcum was able to induce the crystallization of PLA hybrid composites.

Development of PLA/EVA Reactive Blends for Heat-Shrinkable Film

“…Then, the storage moduli of neat PLA and blends were increased again after 100 • C. This phenomenon was due to the nature of PLA. The increase in the storage modulus is a consequence of the cold crystallization of PLA in the test specimens during the DMTA temperature scan, which was also reported in other studies [28][29][30]. In addition, upon increasing the EVA content to 10 wt %, the glass transition temperature (T g ) of the PLA/EVA reactive blend was slightly shifted to the lower temperature (as shown in Figure 12b).…”

Thermal degradation kinetics of Opuntia Ficus Indica flour and talc-filled poly (lactic acid) hybrid biocomposites by TGA analysis

“…OFI-F was used without surface treatment because this method is time-consuming and difficult to scale up for large-scale manufacturing. 17 OFI-F has a real density close to 1.54 AE 0.002 g/cm 3 , which is similar to most lignocellulosic fillers. 25 Talc powder under the trade name HARTalc (High Form factor Talc) from Sigma Aldrich (Algeria) was used without surface treatment.…”

“…11 Inorganic and organic fillers have been shown to improve the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of some crystalline polymers when used as reinforcing agents. 12 Several studies have proposed the inclusion of organic or inorganic fillers, e.g., organoclay, 13,14 cellulose, hemp, sisal, 15 titanium dioxide, 16 and talc 17,18 into the polymer matrix to obtain polymer biocomposites. The use of organic fillers can lead to the improvement of biocomposites by rendering them with low density, low cost, high stiffness, and biodegradability compared with conventional petrochemical-based polymers.…”

“…However, these techniques are time-consuming and difficult to scale up for massive industrial production. 17 On the other hand, the high performance of talc as an inorganic filler can improve the thermal properties of PLA biocomposites reinforced with natural fillers.…”

“…33 According to the work of Battegazzore et al, when the talc content in the composite increases from more than 0 to 15 wt % marginally, the rate of crystallization increases. 34 Several authors have described the use of filler mixtures (PLA/newspaper fibers/talc, PLA/cellulose fiber/ montmorillonite, PLA/cellulose fiber and PLA cellulose fiber/clay 17 ) to further improve the performance of biocomposites. Lee et al examined the mechanical properties of a PLA matrix filled with wood flour and talc.…”