Synergistic effects of annealing heat treatment and lignocellulose fiber incorporation on the thermal, mechanical, and water absorption properties of poly(lactic acid)‐based biocomposites

Abstract This study investigates the effect of annealing heat treatment on polymer composites composed entirely of biodegradable components. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was used as the matrix material paired with three different types of commercial lignocellulose fibers of varying sizes. Composites containing 10 wt.% fibers were processed through extrusion followed by injection molding. The amorphous (unannealed) and semi‐crystalline (annealed) samples were characterized for their morphological, thermal, mechanical, and water absorption properties. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed a homogenous distribution of cellulose fibers within the PLA matrix, even though the composite with the smallest fiber size exhibited slight agglomeration. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements indicated that the annealing heat treatment successfully induced crystallization, with the filler particles capable of increasing the extent of crystallinity formed during the annealing heat treatment from 28% to 36%. Based on the tensile tests, as a result of annealing heat treatment, the composites' strength increased from 48–50 to 53–56 MPa, while their Young's modulus increased from 3.1 GPa to 3.3‐3.5 GPa. The Charpy impact tests also revealed an enhanced toughness for the samples exposed to the annealing heat treatment. In terms of water absorption, annealing enhanced the hydrophobic nature of PLA. In addition, the semi‐crystalline structure formed during the heat treatment also inhibited the highly hydrophilic cellulose fibers from absorbing as much moisture as they did when incorporated inside amorphous PLA; cellulose fibers embedded in the semi‐crystalline PLA matrix consequently exhibited less moisture absorption than the ones in amorphous PLA. Highlights Through annealing, crystallinity was developed in PLA/lignocellulose composites. Lignocellulose fibers facilitated crystallization by acting as a nucleating agent. Crystallized biocomposites exhibited superior mechanical properties Crystalline segments hindered the water absorption of embedded lignocellulose.