Open Access

ARTICLE

Using CO₂ -Based Polymer Polypropylene Carbonate to Enhance the Interactions in Poly(lactic acid)/Wood Fiber Biocomposites

Xiaoqing Zhang^*, Simon Schmidt^φ, Nick Rigopoulos, Januar Gotama, Eustathios Petinakis

CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia
φ Internship student from University of Applied Science Bremen, Germany

* Corresponding Author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2015, 3(2), 91-100. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2014.634135

Received 20 November 2014; Accepted 28 January 2015;

Abstract

The behavior of a biodegradable CO₂ -based polymer polypropylene carbonate (PPC) as polymer matrix of wood fi ber (WF) composites was examined and compared with that of using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as the matrix. The PPC/WF composites displayed poor mechanical properties as compared to PLA/WF composites because PPC is an amorphous polymer with low T_g and poor thermal stability. However, when PPC was used in conjunction with PLA in WF composites, the mechanical strength and modulus of the composites could match or even exceed the level of PLA/WF composites. The strong intermolecular interactions between PPC and WF and those between PPC and PLA enhanced the bonding between compatible PPC/PLA matrix and WF fi llers, resulting in improved fl exural strength and modulus over a broader temperature range that reduced the impact of the low T_g effect of PPC. The crystalline structures of PLA were also modifi ed in the PPC-PLA/WF composites, while the thermal stability of the composites was improved.

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Keywords

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