BIOCOMPOSITES FROM NATURAL FIBRES AND BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS: PROCESSING, PROPERTIES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

摘要

Interest in biodegradable polymers has been increasing in recent years with the recognition of their potential in a wide variety of uses. A decrease in the price of certain biodegradable; polymers can be anticipated over the next decade and an even wider range of applications may then become feasible. One of the potential applications is in biocomposites that combine biodegradability with improved mechanical properties at a lower material cost than the unreinforced polymers. This paper discusses research in which we have prepared biocomposites from polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) or polycaprolactone (PCL) films and non-woven jute fibre mats. The PHB and PCL biocomposites contained about 40% w/w jute fibre and had tensile strength and tensile modulus values at least three times higher than those of the unreinforced polymers. Observations from electron microscopy suggested that interfacial adhesion between jute and PHB could be improved. Molecular weight analyses by size exclusion chromatography showed that the mean molecular weight of PHB decreased significantly with increases in processing temperature; however, we found that PHB/jute composite tensile properties were only adversely affected at the highest temperature (220℃). Future prospects for PHB or PCL biocomposites are discussed on the basis of polymer prices and the properties of these materials.