Peroxide/Silane Crosslinked Poly(lactic acid) Hybrid Biocomposite Reinforced with Empty Fruit Bunch and Cotton Fibers for Hot-Fill Food Packaging

Abstract

A biocomposite manufactured from peroxide/silane crosslinked poly(lactic acid) reinforced with hybridized empty fruit bunch (EFB) oil palm and cotton fibers was investigated. Optimization of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and the vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) crosslink system by using the 2 k factorial design of experiment (DOE), with k = 2 was preliminary employed. There was no significant effect of the designed parameters, DCP(A) and VTMS(B), on the properties of the biocomposite. Concerning the environmental and economical aspects, the DPC and VTMS ratio was important. A crosslink agent content from 0.5 phr of DCP with 1 phr to 2 phr VTMS was recommended to manufacture a biocomposite with high heat distortion temperature (HDT) at above 100 °C and reasonable flow and mechanical properties. Also, the direct addition of the DCP/VTMS crosslink agent onto the PLA/rubber compound mixture and fed into a twin screw extruder for producing crosslinked PLA/EFB/cotton hybrid biocomposites were the optimized mixing methods. Shorter process line/time, ease of process steps, and reasonable engineering properties were justified. A HDT above 100 °C with a better toughness property of the biocomposite material was obtained. The PLA/PLA and PLA/ENR crosslinks via silane/moisture condensation during the sauna incubation was the prime explanation.

Enhanced Nonisothermal Crystallization and Heat Resistance of Poly(l-lactic acid) by d-Sorbitol as a Homogeneous Nucleating Agent

“…13−15 Nevertheless, once the processing temperature exceeded the melting point of SC, the stereocomplex structure and nucleation would be destroyed and could not be restored. 16−18 Some other approaches have also been explored to improve the heat resistance of PLA; for instance, copolymerization, 19,20 blending, 21,22 nano 23 or fiber filling, 24 and improving crystallinity 25,26 all have been reported. The higher content of introduced components via copolymerization, blending, and filling inevitably deteriorates the degradation tendency and limits the application of PLA in the fields with strict health and biosafety requirements.…”

“…Examples of other concerns include the high cost of PDLA, especially at a relatively large dosage (isomolar), and the unsuitability of melt processing for the formation of SC. In view of these problems, researchers attempted the use of SC as a nucleating agent and jointly improved the crystallization rate and tensile strength of PLA. − Nevertheless, once the processing temperature exceeded the melting point of SC, the stereocomplex structure and nucleation would be destroyed and could not be restored. − Some other approaches have also been explored to improve the heat resistance of PLA; for instance, copolymerization, , blending, , nano or fiber filling, and improving crystallinity , all have been reported. The higher content of introduced components via copolymerization, blending, and filling inevitably deteriorates the degradation tendency and limits the application of PLA in the fields with strict health and biosafety requirements.…”

Manufacturing of wood plastic composite from polyethylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste/ultra high molecular weight polyethylene blends and rice husk fiber: Raw materials preparation and preliminary processing investigation

“…Then, it was hydrolyzed and condensed to create -Si-O-Sibonds between the chains and/or bonding between the wood and polymer. The macro crosslink, via silane bridges, results in outstanding performance properties (Meekum 2014;Meekum and Kingchang 2017).…”

Effect of addition of triallyl isocyanurate and post‐ultraviolet irradiation on the selected properties of composites of poly(lactic acid), poly(butylene succinate) and nano‐sized calcium carbonate

“…In literature, crosslinking is a useful method to improve the mechanical performance of PLA-based composites. The crosslinking of PLA can be achieved through two processes: high-energy irradiation ( 60 Co γ-rays [17][18][19] or electron beam 20,21 ) crosslinking and chemical crosslinking (peroxide and silane crosslinking [22][23][24][25] ). However, the main shortcomings of the former are high investment, complicated operation and processing technology, and critical requirement for safety and radiation protection.…”