Improved Toughness of PLA/PBAT/Modified Bamboo Powder Composites Through Interfacial Regulation

The incorporation of abundant natural bamboo fiber (BF) into biodegradable polymers has emerged as a promising strategy to develop environmentally friendly materials. However, the poor interfacial compatibility between BF and biodegradable polymers has led to reduced performance, especially deteriorated toughness, and has limited the practical applications of bamboo-plastic composites. In this study, a compatible modifier, polydopamine (PDA), was employed to modify the surface of natural BF, and poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) bamboo-plastic composites were fabricated via melt blending. And then, a commercial multifunctional compatibilizer (AX8900) was introduced to further enhance the interfacial compatibility and physical properties of the composite. After adding 20 wt% modified BF and 2 wt% compatibilizer, the composite exhibited a better notch impact strength (9.7 kJ/m²) than that filled with unmodified BF (3.2 kJ/m²), indicating a substantial enhancement. This work provides a novel approach to produce friendly biodegradable composites utilizing natural cellulose resources.