Thermal and Flexural Properties of Regenerated Cellulose(rc)/Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)(phb)biocomposites

Regenerated cellulose (RC)/ poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) composite was prepared via melt compounding with different RC contents from 1 to 7 wt.%. Regenerated cellulose fiber was prepared in NaOH/urea aqueous solution. The properties of the cellulose and the regenerated cellulose were compared using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The results of TGA and DSC revealed that the regenerated cellulose had lower thermal properties than cellulose. Meanwhile, the FTIR of regenerated cellulose showed that the intensity portrayed by a few peaks had reduced or disappeared as compared to cellulose. Besides, PHB composites were characterized using TGA and flexural testing. Moreover, thermal stability of the composites insignificantly changed with the incorporation of RC. Improvement in flexural strength and modulus were observed, whereas 3 wt.% was found to be the optimum RC content.