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Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites

Green composites, composed of bio-based matrices and natural fibers, are a sustainable alternative for composites based on conventional thermoplastics and glass fibers. In this work, micronized bleached Eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) fibers were used as reinforcement in biopolymeric matrices, namely p...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Valente, Bruno F. A., Silvestre, Armando J. D., Neto, Carlos Pascoal, Vilela, Carla, Freire, Carmen S. R.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8468071/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34577065
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185594
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author Valente, Bruno F. A.
Silvestre, Armando J. D.
Neto, Carlos Pascoal
Vilela, Carla
Freire, Carmen S. R.
author_facet Valente, Bruno F. A.
Silvestre, Armando J. D.
Neto, Carlos Pascoal
Vilela, Carla
Freire, Carmen S. R.
author_sort Valente, Bruno F. A.
collection PubMed
description Green composites, composed of bio-based matrices and natural fibers, are a sustainable alternative for composites based on conventional thermoplastics and glass fibers. In this work, micronized bleached Eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) fibers were used as reinforcement in biopolymeric matrices, namely poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The influence of the load and aspect ratio of the mechanically treated microfibers on the morphology, water uptake, melt flowability, and mechanical and thermal properties of the green composites were investigated. Increasing fiber loads raised the tensile and flexural moduli as well as the tensile strength of the composites, while decreasing their elongation at the break and melt flow rate. The reduced aspect ratio of the micronized fibers (in the range from 11.0 to 28.9) improved their embedment in the matrices, particularly for PHB, leading to superior mechanical performance and lower water uptake when compared with the composites with non-micronized pulp fibers. The overall results show that micronization is a simple and sustainable alternative for conventional chemical treatments in the manufacturing of entirely bio-based composites.
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spelling pubmed-84680712021-09-27 Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites Valente, Bruno F. A. Silvestre, Armando J. D. Neto, Carlos Pascoal Vilela, Carla Freire, Carmen S. R. Molecules Article Green composites, composed of bio-based matrices and natural fibers, are a sustainable alternative for composites based on conventional thermoplastics and glass fibers. In this work, micronized bleached Eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP) fibers were used as reinforcement in biopolymeric matrices, namely poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The influence of the load and aspect ratio of the mechanically treated microfibers on the morphology, water uptake, melt flowability, and mechanical and thermal properties of the green composites were investigated. Increasing fiber loads raised the tensile and flexural moduli as well as the tensile strength of the composites, while decreasing their elongation at the break and melt flow rate. The reduced aspect ratio of the micronized fibers (in the range from 11.0 to 28.9) improved their embedment in the matrices, particularly for PHB, leading to superior mechanical performance and lower water uptake when compared with the composites with non-micronized pulp fibers. The overall results show that micronization is a simple and sustainable alternative for conventional chemical treatments in the manufacturing of entirely bio-based composites. MDPI 2021-09-15 /pmc/articles/PMC8468071/ /pubmed/34577065 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185594 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Valente, Bruno F. A.
Silvestre, Armando J. D.
Neto, Carlos Pascoal
Vilela, Carla
Freire, Carmen S. R.
Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title_full Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title_fullStr Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title_full_unstemmed Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title_short Effect of the Micronization of Pulp Fibers on the Properties of Green Composites
title_sort effect of the micronization of pulp fibers on the properties of green composites
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8468071/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34577065
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185594
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