Strong, ductile and biodegradable polylactic acid/lignin-containing cellulose nanofibril composites with improved thermal and barrier properties

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2021-11, Vol.171, p.113898, Article 113898
• Main Authors: Wang, Yingchao, Liu, Shanshan, Wang, Qiang, Ji, Xingxiang, Yang, Guihua, Chen, Jiachuan, Fatehi, Pedram
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodegradable; Compatibility; Composite; Interfacial interaction; Lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNF); Polylactic acid (PLA)
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113898

Schematic of lignin content on the compatibility of LCNF and PLA. [Display omitted] •PLA/LCNF composites with both high strength and great ductility were prepared.•Lignin particles improved the interfacial interaction and compatibility between LCNF and PLA.•UV-shielding, water vapor barrier performance, and good thermal stability were integrated in the PLA composites film.•A fully biodegraded composites using the green LCNF and biodegradable PLA were produced. Currently, it is challenging to produce biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) composite with both high strength and great ductility. In this work, lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) derived from old newspaper were amalgamated with a biodegradable PLA matrix to prepare multifunctional composites with integrated strength and ductility. Owing to the lignin content of LCNF, the interfacial interaction and compatibility between LCNF and PLA matrix were improved by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions, thereby the mechanical properties of PLA/LCNF composite films were successfully enhanced. After blending LCNF with PLA, the prepared PLA/LCNF composite films exhibited excellent UV-shielding, water vapor barrier performance, and good thermal stability. This study reveals a feasible strategy to design full biodegradable multifunctional composite using the green LCNF and biodegradable PLA.