6533b7d7fe1ef96bd1267c7e

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Structure-property relationship of PLA-Opuntia Ficus Indica biocomposites

Roberto ScaffaroBartolomeo MegnaEmmanuel Fortunato GulinoAndrea Maio

subject

Materials scienceOpuntia ficusCeramics and Composite02 engineering and technology010402 general chemistryHalpin-Tsai01 natural sciencesIndustrial and Manufacturing EngineeringOpuntia Ficus IndicaRheologyUltimate tensile strengthCladodesMechanics of MaterialComposite materialLignocellulosic fillerchemistry.chemical_classificationbiologyMechanical EngineeringStructure propertyPolymer021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologybiology.organism_classification0104 chemical sciencesGrindingSettore ING-IND/22 - Scienza E Tecnologia Dei MaterialichemistryMechanics of MaterialsCeramics and CompositesPLAGreen composite0210 nano-technology

description

Abstract In this work, a lignocellulosic flour was achieved by grinding the cladodes of Opuntia Ficus Indica and then added to a poly-lactic acid (PLA) in order to prepare biocomposites by melt processing. The influence of filler content and size on the morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties of the green composites was assessed. Moreover, solvent-aided filler extraction enabled to evaluate the homogeneity of filler dispersion, as well as the effect of processing on the geometrical features of the fillers. The experimental data obtained by tensile tests proved to be remarkably higher than those predicted by Halpin–Tsai model, presumably due to the capability of the polymer to enter the empty channels of the fillers, thus dramatically increasing the interphasic region.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2019-06-01Composites Part B: Engineering
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.12.025