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Impact Strength and Water Uptake Behavior of Bleached Kraft Softwood-Reinforced PLA Composites as Alternative to PP-Based Materials

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Laboratori d’Enginyeria Paperera i Materials Polímers (LEPAMAP Research Group), Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, C.P. 17003 Girona, Spain
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Càtedra de Processos Industrials Sostenibles, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, C.P. 17003 Girona, Spain
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Design, Development and Product Innovation, Dept. of Organization, Business, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2144; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092144
Received: 3 September 2020 / Revised: 17 September 2020 / Accepted: 18 September 2020 / Published: 20 September 2020
The research toward environmentally friendly materials has devoted a great effort on composites based on natural fiber-reinforced biopolymers. These materials have shown noticeable mechanical properties, mainly tensile and flexural strengths, as a consequence of increasingly strong interfaces. Previous studies have shown a good interface between natural fibers and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) when these fibers present a low lignin content in their surface chemical composition (bleached fibers). Nonetheless, one of the main drawbacks of these materials is the hydrophilicity of the reinforcements in front of the mineral ones like glass fiber. Meanwhile, the behavior of such materials under impact is also of importance to evaluate its usefulness. This research evaluates the water uptake behavior and the impact strength of bleached Kraft softwood-reinforced PLA composites that have been reported to show noticeable tensile and flexural properties. The paper explores the differences between these bio-based materials and commodity composites like glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene. View Full-Text
Keywords: natural fibers; impact behavior; mechanical testing; injection molding; water uptake natural fibers; impact behavior; mechanical testing; injection molding; water uptake
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MDPI and ACS Style

Oliver-Ortega, H.; Tarrés, Q.; Mutjé, P.; Delgado-Aguilar, M.; Méndez, J.A.; Espinach, F.X. Impact Strength and Water Uptake Behavior of Bleached Kraft Softwood-Reinforced PLA Composites as Alternative to PP-Based Materials. Polymers 2020, 12, 2144. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092144

AMA Style

Oliver-Ortega H, Tarrés Q, Mutjé P, Delgado-Aguilar M, Méndez JA, Espinach FX. Impact Strength and Water Uptake Behavior of Bleached Kraft Softwood-Reinforced PLA Composites as Alternative to PP-Based Materials. Polymers. 2020; 12(9):2144. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092144

Chicago/Turabian Style

Oliver-Ortega, Helena, Quim Tarrés, Pere Mutjé, Marc Delgado-Aguilar, José A. Méndez, and Francesc X. Espinach. 2020. "Impact Strength and Water Uptake Behavior of Bleached Kraft Softwood-Reinforced PLA Composites as Alternative to PP-Based Materials" Polymers 12, no. 9: 2144. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092144

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