What is it about?
To obtain sisal microfibers via mechanical treatment followed by chemical treatment and films by the casting method using commercial corn starch and glycerol as a plasticizing agent, reinforced with sisal microfibers. FTIR results revealed that the addition of microfibers did not change the chemical structure of the thermoplastic starch (TPS) matrix. The films from the samples with 18% glycerol and 10% microfibers had the highest value for the maximum tension of 4.78 MPa. The thermal decomposition profile of TPS was not altered by the addition of microfibers.
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Why is it important?
Our findings demonstrated the profound influence of glycerol and microfiber contents on the tensile properties of thermoplastic starch composites. The increasing use of petroleum plastics has caused environmental damage due to the degradation time of these materials.
Perspectives
An alternative to petroleum plastics could be TPS. However, thermoplastic starch does not exhibit satisfactory tensile properties. The mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch can be improved by adding sisal microfibers.
Prof. Dr. Carlos Alberto Brito da Silva Jr.
Universidade Federal do Para
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This page is a summary of: Influence of Glycerol and SISAL Microfiber Contents on the Thermal and Tensile Properties of Thermoplastic Starch Composites, Polymers, October 2023, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/polym15204141.
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