Preparation and Characterization of Esterified Bamboo Flour by an In Situ Solid Phase Method

Abstract

Bamboo plastic composites have become a hot research topic and a key focus of research. However, many strong, polar, hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in bamboo flour (BF) results in poor interfacial compatibility between BF and hydrophobic polymers. Maleic anhydride-esterified (MAH-e-BF) and lactic acid-esterified bamboo flour (LA-e-BF) were prepared while using an in situ solid-phase esterification method with BF as the raw material and maleic anhydride or lactic acid as the esterifying agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed that BF esterification with maleic anhydride and lactic acid was successful, with the esterification degrees of MAH-e-BF and LA-e-BF at 21.04 ± 0.23% and 14.28 ± 0.17%, respectively. Esterified BF was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle testing, X-ray diffractometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrated that esterified BF surfaces were covered with graft polymer and the surface roughness and bonding degree of MAH-e-BF clearly larger than those of LA-e-BF. The hydrophobicity of esterified BF was significantly higher than BF and the hydrophobicity of MAH-e-BF was better than LA-e-BF. The crystalline structure of esterified BF showed some damage, while MAH-e-BF exhibited a greater decrease in crystallinity than LA-e-BF. Overall, the esterification reaction improved BF thermoplasticity, with the thermoplasticity of MAH-e-BF appearing to be better than LA-e-BF.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Bamboo Fiber–Reinforced PLA Polymer Composites: A Critical Study

“…The composite absorbed a lot of strain energy and resisted crack propagation through the bamboo fiber. A superior enhancement with 1 wt% cellulose content in the reinforced PLA composite was obtained [61].…”

Exploration of Optimal Reaction Conditions for Constructing Hydrophobic Polymers with Low Deformation to Facilitate the Dimensional Stability of Laminated Bamboo Lumber

“…PHM could consume the free hydroxyl groups and increase its surface hydrophobicity when constructed in the material. When the monomer solution diffused into the bamboo cell wall, for one thing, MA (MAc or MAh) chemically bonded to the hydroxyl groups of bamboo components, reducing the number of free hydroxyl groups and weakening the diffusion of water molecules into the bamboo cell wall [ 27 ], many reports indicate that MAh has been used to modify lignocellulosic materials via esterification reactions and achieve good results [ 50 ].…”