Preparation and characterization of linear low denstity polyethylene LLDPE/Thermoplastic Starch (TPS)/Banana fiber composites

Abstract

The blending of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with thermoplastic starch (TPS) and filled with banana fiber (BF) were investigated. Two types of systems were prepared; the LLDPE/TPS matrix with different blend ratio and (LLDPE/TP) (80/20) composites filled with 5 – 30 wt% of BF. Morphological changes using scanning electron microscope (SEM) were observed and its showed that TPS particles are homogenously dispersed in LLDPE matrix. On the other hand, BF was found to be well embedded in TPS phase, showing the good interaction between BF and TPS phases. This observation show an agreement with the Young’s modulus value which is increased with the in cerement of BF contents. The increment in Young’s modulus value was also attributed to the difficulties in LLDPE/TPS chains movement with the presence of BF. Besides that, the effect of TPS and BF contents on thermal characteristics of LLDPE matrix was also investigated. The measurements from differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), proved the effectiveness of TPS and BF in improving the blend degradation. The LLDPE/TPS/BF composites showed better thermal stability than the LLDPE/TPS blend, which is reflected to the LLDPE chains movement restriction. The incorporation of BF into the LLDPE/TPS blends was found to restricts the chains movement and resulting in more thermally stable and improving the blends toughness.