Effect of dicumyl peroxide-coated sawdust in melt-processed polylactic acid/polycaprolactone biocomposite for...

The rough surface finish and brittle nature often limit the widespread application of sawdust as a sustainable filler in biocomposites. In this study, the sawdust particles in PLA/PCL/sawdust biocomposites were coated with a PLA solution. The goal was to primarily reduce the moisture absorption rate. DCP (Dicumyl Peroxide) was incorporated into the PLA solution during the coating process to further strengthen and improve the interfacial adhesion. This enhanced the compatibility between the hygroscopic sawdust and the relatively hydrophobic PLA. This approach was found to lead to a higher water contact angle and increase the overall hydrophobicity of the fabricated product (almost 10 %). Adding DCP in sawdust up to 0.5 wt% appeared to be most effective in enhancing the tensile properties of the biocomposites (30 % increase in tensile strength). The onset degradation temperature of biocomposites also increased by 7 % when compared to uncoated sawdust biocomposites. The fabricated samples exhibited a more compact and smoother surface, reflecting improved dispersion and enhanced interfacial adhesion. It was concluded that the biocomposite could be immensely useful in developing consumer articles for multifarious applications through compression moulding and injection moulding processes while increasing the elasticity could broaden the scope of application.