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Biodegradation of Phormium tenax /poly(lactic acid) composites
Author(s) -
Fortunati E.,
Puglia D.,
Santulli C.,
Sarasini F.,
Kenny J. M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.36839
Subject(s) - differential scanning calorimetry , thermogravimetric analysis , materials science , composite material , crystallinity , compounding , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
The disintegration patterns of composites produced by a melt compounding process using 0, 20, 30, and 40 wt % of Phormium tenax fibers in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix were studied for a period of 40 days in composting conditions. The characterization of PLA and PLA/phormium composites included disintegration measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, FTIR analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The two controlling factors for disintegrability appeared to be the crystallinity of PLA and phormium fiber content: in general, the matrix tends to disintegrate completely before the 40 days and also phormium fibers undergo a substantial degradation during this period of time. Measurements taken at 10, 20, 30, and 40 days confirm that the disintegration process progresses steadily, though most of it takes place between 20 and 30 days. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012