Experimental and Simulation of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide PLA Biocomposite Foamed

Abstract

The use of PLA as a green substitute for conventional plastics has increased considerably as a result of increased awareness of the environmental effect of the use of petroleum-based plastics. However, some of the PLA properties including brittleness and sensitivity to high temperature and humidity, greatly restrict its application. The addition of reinforcement of low-cost natural fibres and foaming are considered to overcome the above disadvantages since it can improve some of PLA’s processing. This paper reported the effects of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) on the tensile strength of PLA biocomposite films produced via solution casting method. The biocomposite films underwent supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) treatment at temperature of 40°C and pressure at 200 bar. The tensile strength showed that the PLA biocomposite foamed has improved by 16.18%. This is due to a good adhesion interfacial between fiber and polymer matrix. A simulation on tensile strength of the biocomposite foamed was also conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The tensile strength resulted from this simulation is similar to the experimental value. Therefore, the experimental value is valid and satisfy. This also showed that SCCO2 treatment significantly improved the properties of PLA biocomposite films which could be an alternative in packaging industries.