No.8（2013）8.Mechanical properties of poly (butylene succinate) composites using banana ?ber

Tetsuto Kajiyama, Takeshi Yasuda, Kenichi Shimizu, Kose Hayashi

  Banana fibers obtained from banana leaves can be used to develop new products, nevertheless, over one billion tons of banana leaves are discarded yearly throughout the world. Banana fiber (BF) / poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) composites were prepared using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as a compatibilizer, and the BF was treated with an NaOH aqueous solution. Tensile of BF/PBS composites were studied. When the HDI content in composites was increased, tensile strength increased. In addition, when blending times were increased, tensile strength increased. On the other hand, elongation at break of BF/PBS composites was lower than PBS. The fracture surface morphologies obtained by scanning electron microscope show that HDI improved adhesion between PBS and the BF. These results suggest that the two isocyanate groups (-NCO) of HDI reacted with the end hydroxy group (-OH) of PBS and/or hydroxyl groups of banana fiber and BF can be used as a reinforcement agent for polyester type plastics such as PBS.

Keywords
Polybutylene succinate, Banana fiber, Hexamethylene diisocyanate

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