Andrea Dorigato1,*, Martino Negri2, Alessandro Pegoretti1,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.5, pp. 493-503, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634177
Abstract Novel fully biodegradable thermoplastic composite laminates reinforced with ultrathin wood laminae were prepared through a hot-pressing process by using two different thermoplastic starch (TPS) matrices. The microstructure and physical properties of the resulting unidirectional and bidirectional laminates were studied. The investigated materials presented a complex microstructure, in which the porosity of the wood laminae was almost entirely occluded by the polymer matrix. The mechanical behavior of the laminates was strongly affected by the obtained microstructure, and matrix penetration in wood pores led to biodegradable composites with elastic modulus and tensile strength higher than those of More >