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Updated: Feb 12, 2026
Experimental Implementation of a New Composite Fabrication Method: Exposing Bare Fibers on the Composite Surface by the Soft Layer Method
Published on: October 6, 2017
A new biodegradable sisal fiber-starch packing composite with nest structure
Qi Xie1, Fangyi Li1, Jianfeng Li1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture (Ministry of Education) Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education (Shandong University), Jinan 250061, China.
Abstract:
A new completely biodegradable sisal fiber-starch packing composite was proposed. The effects of fiber content and alkaline treatment on the cushioning property of the composites were studied from energy absorption efficiency, cellular microstructure and compatibility between fiber and starch. With increasing fiber content, the nest structure of composites becomes dense first and then loosens, resulting in initial enhancement and subsequent weakening of the cushioning property of the composites. The composite with 4:13 mass ratio of fiber and thermoplastic starch (TPS) exhibit the optimal cushioning property. Alkaline treatment increases the compatibility between sisal fiber and TPS, promotes the formation of dense nest structure, thereby enhances the cushioning property of the composites. After biodegradability tests for 28 days, the weight loss of the composites was 62.36%. It's found that the composites are a promising replacement for expandable polystyrene (EPS) as packing material, especially under large compression load (0.7-6 MPa).
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