Thermal and mechanical properties of biodegradable polymers mixed with nano- and micron-sized cellulose fiber
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Annual plastic consumption continues to rise. Only about 9% of waste plastic is recycled, and the rest is landfilled and incinerated, causing various environmental pollution. Attempts are being made to replace existing commercial plastics with biodegradable plastics that should decompose in a short time in soil. However, commercially available biodegradable plastic is known to not show enough biodegradability for using it as a packaging material or film. For enhancing the biodegradability of plastics such as PLA and PBAT, biomass such as starch can be mixed, which makes their thermal and mechanical property reduction. Here, nano- and micro-sized cellulose fibers are added to improve them while maintaining their eco-friendliness. In the case of cellulose fibers, a strong capillary force acts to cause fiber aggregation, when dried, which can be minimized by incorporating silica particles on the surface.