Mechanical and thermal characterization of sisal fiber reinforced polylactic acid composites

TLDR

Green composites offer environmental friendliness, lightweight, lower production energy and costs, and recyclability. This study investigates the mechanical, thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of PLA/sisal fiber biocomposites. Biocomposites were fabricated by extruding PLA with 5–15 % sisal fiber followed by injection molding. Increasing sisal fiber content enhanced mechanical and dynamic properties and raised PLA crystallinity from 47 % to 61 % by acting as a nucleating agent.

Abstract

The advantages of green composites are including, but not limited to their environmental friendly nature, lightweight, reduction of production energy and costs, and recyclability. This work focuses on the mechanical, thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of biocomposites. For that purpose, biosourced polymers were used, namely polylactic acid (PLA) and sisal fiber, and biocomposites were extruded and then injection molded with different contents of sisal fibers (5%, 10%, 15%). The results show that the increase of the rate of reinforcement improves the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the biocomposites made. By the increase of the sisal fiber content, the degree of crystallinity of the matrix was increased from 47% to 61%, as sisal fibers were acted as a nucleating agent for the PLA.