Polylactic acid (PLA)/banana fiber (BF) biodegradable green composites

In this study, polylactic acid (PLA)/banana fiber (BF) composites were prepared by melt blending method. The BF was conjugated onto PLA chains through the use of a coupling agent and chemical modification. Consequently, the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the PLA were dramatically elevated through the incorporation of BF. Mechanical tests showed that the tensile and flexural strengths of the composites markedly increased with the fiber content, reaching 78.6 and 65.4 MPa when reinforced with 40 phr fiber, approximately 2 and 1.66 times higher, produced by pristine PLA. However, the impact strengths of composites are somewhat decreased with the increased content of fibers. The addition of 40 phr BF into the composite increased the HDT of pure PLA from 62 °C to 139 °C; an improvement of about 122%. Apart from enhancing the mechanical properties and thermal stability, the incorporation of BF can reduce the production cost of materials while meeting the demands of environmental protection agencies.