Mechanical and water absorption properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/sago pith waste biocomposites

Abstract

A series of blends of sago pith waste (SPW) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared. Mechanical and water absorption properties of the composites have been investigated. In this study, variable amounts of plasticized SPW (pSPW) and PVA (pPVA) were processed in the presence of glycerol as plasticizers. Composites were compression molded and evaluated. The addition of pSPW reduced the tensile properties of the composites, lowering the elongation and increasing Young's modulus. The reduction in mechanical strength with the addition of pSPW was a general phenomenon due to the poor interfacial adhesion between the pPVA and Pspw, which can be proved by the scanning electron microscope observations. The percentage of water absorbed of the pPVA/pSPW biocomposites was higher than either the pPVA or pSPW alone while pSPW showed better water resistance compared to pPVA because of the restricted mobility exerted by the cellulose fibers. The incorporation of SPW into PVA decreased both the mechanical and water absorption properties.

Mechanical Properties of Bioplastic From Jackfruit Seed Flour and Polypropylene

“…These results are similarly shown in the previous work by Toh Wen et al which finds the same trend of the graph for the study on poly vinyl alcohol)/sago pith waste (SPW) [5]. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreases with increasing SPW content and conclude the decreasing strength with increasing starch content contributed to the poor interfacial adhesion of the two components [5]. Figure 2 shows that Young's modulus increased from 1901.12 M Pa at 50 wt %, 2207.68 M Pa at 70 wt %, and 2598.38 M Pa at 90 wt %.…”

“…Rosa et al observes the same behavior for high density polyethylene/polypropylene (HDPE/PP) starch blends [12]. These results are similarly shown in the previous work by Toh Wen et al which finds the same trend of the graph for the study on poly vinyl alcohol)/sago pith waste (SPW) [5]. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreases with increasing SPW content and conclude the decreasing strength with increasing starch content contributed to the poor interfacial adhesion of the two components [5].…”

“…A similar result is shown in previous work by Toh Wen et al where the incorporation of SPW fillers into PVA has led to an increase in the modulus of the composites. This condition is due to that starch granules are stiffer than the PVA matrix in which they are dispersed [5]. Another of probability for the high modulus was due to the fact that jack fruit seed granules were not melting and retain their shape as rigid filler during processing.…”

“…Commonly, synthetic thermoplastics are blended with starch or other biopolymer to enhance the potential biodegradability of polyolefin [5]. Polypropylene (PP), a synthetic polymer is an economical material that provides excellent physical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties that are not found in any other thermoplastic polymer [6].…”

Mechanical Properties of Sago/Urea Formaldehyde Particleboard Affected by the Weight Fraction of Sago

“…The performance of composites is determined by the particle/matrix interfacial adhesion and creates a good polymerization. This may indicate that the incorporation of Sago granules into the UF matrix introduces a new interfacial region that affects the stress transfer [15]. The dispersion of the networked UF with the Sago particles is expected to be good because its surface is covered with organic materials.…”