Sustainable jute fiber reinforced polylactic acid composite: Thermochemical and thermomechanical characteristics

The necessity of utilizing biodegradable and naturally sourced materials is rising all over the world. The preferred composite today are mostly sustainable but compatibility issues between the matrix and fiber still requires further investigation. The study presents development of Jute fiber (JF) reinforced Polylactic acid (PLA) composite with Fusabond (FB) as an interfacial modifier by using extrusion. The addition of interfacial modifier enhanced the thermomechanical and thermochemical properties of resultant composite. The improvement in elastic modulus and tensile strength is evident when 30%JF with 3%FB was utilized. The DMA result shows that the addition of Fusabond as interfacial modifier in jute fiber reinforced polylactic acid composite improves the storage modulus and enhances the toughness by reducing tanδ peak. Furthermore, SEM micrograph demonstrates the improvement in interfacial suitability between jute fiber and polylactic acid matrix when Fusabond is added. The X-ray tomography result shows when jute fiber content is 30% in PLA matrix higher degree of anisotropy is achieved which is 29%.