Dielectric, Electrical Conductivity, and Thermal Stability Studies of Cellulosic Fibers Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites

ABSTRACT

In this study, biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) composites were reinforced with three different natural fibers, were bamboo (BF), sugarcane (SF), and banana pseudostem (BPF) fibers, and prepared at different loadings (10, 20, and 30 wt.%). The solvent casting particulate leaching method was implemented to produce porous composites, and salt was used as the particulate material. The dielectric properties of the PLA/BF, PLA/SF, and PLA/BF composites were studied for different loadings of cellulosic fibers. The composites were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the PLA composites with 30 wt.% filler content were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). According to the dielectric tests, all PLA/BF, PLA/SF, and PLA/BPF composites have low dielectric constants and dielectric loss. The PLA/BF composites exhibited the highest dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and electrical conductivity, followed by the PLA/BF and PLA/SF composites. The morphology of the composites showed their porous structure. The FTIR spectra showed the main constituents presented in the composites, and the PLA/BF showed higher thermal stability than the other composites.

摘要

在本研究中，可生物降解聚乳酸（PLA）复合材料用三种不同的天然纤维增强，分别是竹纤维（BF）、甘蔗纤维（SF）和香蕉假茎纤维（BPF），并在不同的负载量（10、20和30重量%）下制备. 采用溶剂浇铸颗粒浸取法制备多孔复合材料，并使用盐作为颗粒材料. 研究了PLA/BF、PLA/SF和PLA/BF复合材料在不同纤维素纤维负载量下的介电性能. 使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）观察复合材料，并使用傅立叶变换红外（FTIR）和热重分析（TGA）分析填料含量为30重量%的PLA复合材料. 根据介电测试，所有PLA/BF、PLA/SF和PLA/BPF复合材料都具有低介电常数和介电损耗. PLA/BF复合材料表现出最高的介电常数、介电损耗和电导率，其次是PLA/BF和PLA/SF复合材料. 复合材料的形貌显示其多孔结构. FTIR光谱显示了复合材料中的主要成分，PLA/BF显示出比其他复合材料更高的热稳定性.

KEYWORDS:

• Polylactic acid
• bamboo
• sugarcane
• banana pseudostem
• dielectric properties
• electrical conductivity

关键词:

• 聚乳酸
• 竹子
• 甘蔗
• 香蕉假茎
• 介电性能
• 电导率

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Faculty of Electronic Engineering Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Faculty of Electrical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) for providing the equipment and technical assistance. The authors are also grateful for the helpful discussions and constructive input from the UniMAP staff.

Disclosure statement

A. B. Maslinda has received research grants from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS).

Research data related to this submission

There are no linked research datasets available for this submission. Data will be made available upon request

Additional information

Funding

The author would like to acknowledge the support from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) under a grant number of FRGS/1/2019/TK05/UNIMAP/03/5 from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia.