Mechanical Properties and Morphological Characterization of PLA/Chitosan/Epoxidized Natural Rubber Composites

Zainoha Zakaria, Md. Saiful Islam, Azman Hassan, M. K. Mohamad Haafiz, Reza Arjmandi, I. M. Inuwa, M. Hasan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/chitosan (CS) natural polymer/epoxidised natural rubber (ENR) composites were successfully prepared through a solution casting method. The morphological characteristics of fabricated composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The microstructure of PLA/ENR was significantly altered with the addition of CS. SEM analysis of composites fractured surfaces revealed smooth and homogeneous texture and good dispersion of CS. However for 15 wt% CS composites, the phase segregation and poor adhesion between the polymers were observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed some levels of attractive interaction between CS, PLA, and ENR in the composites. The mechanical properties of composites in terms of tensile strength and tensile modulus were significantly improved with the addition of CS into the matrix while the percent elongation at break decreased. The tensile strength increased up to 5 wt% CS loading for both PLA/CS and PLA/ENR/CS and thereafter decreased while Young’s modulus increased up to 10 wt%. However, when the CS content was increased to 15 wt%, the tensile strength and tensile modulus were slightly decreased. These improvements were attributed to good dispersion of CS at the optimum filler levels and attractive interaction between the composites components.</jats:p>
Original languageEnglish
Article number629092
Number of pages7
JournalAdvances in Materials Science and Engineering
Volume2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2013 Zainoha Zakaria et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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