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In this work, the fabricated polylactic acid (PLA) and hybrid natural fiber (NF) biocomposites via a melt extrusion method were investigated. NFs from locally grown plants were utilized as fillers. Polyethene glycol (PEG) was used as the plasticizer to improve the processability of the PLA. The effect of PLA/NF biocomposite processing was assessed by mechanical characterization (tensile, modulus, strain at break, and impact tests), and thermal properties (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry [DSC] analysis). The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermo‐mechanical analysis (TMA) of the samples were also analyzed. The mechanical properties of PLA/NF biocomposites improved as compared with that of PLA. The DMA findings show that the storage modulus and loss modulus exhibited a slight reduction for PLA/NF biocomposites compared with the PLA sample. In opposite, the glass transition temperature (Tg) from DSC thermogram results showed no obvious changes in values compared with the PLA sample. Furthermore, the findings of TMA showed a significant decrease in coefficient of thermal expansion values of PLA/NF biocomposites compared with those of PLA samples. The overall findings from this work indicated that PLA/NF biocomposites have the potential to make novel biocomposites and suitable for further application especially in biomedical applications due to its good stiffness, tensile strength, and dimensional stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work deals with the mechanical behavior of dual bonding filler; chitosan (CTS) and date palm (DP) fibre in bio-epoxy composites. The primary objective of this research was to find out if the addition of CTS particles to a DP/bio-epoxy composite could enhance its mechanical properties. Bio-composites are being developed to better understand and manipulate the unique features of these versatile polysaccharides. CTS was included into the bio-epoxy matrix through solution mixing. Bio-epoxy composites with 40% DP fibre loading were developed by dispersing different CTS filler ratios - 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. For the purpose of comparison, a control sample was prepared without the inclusion of the CTS filler. The mixture was then manually disseminated for 7–10 min before being uniformly drenched into a steel cast mould with dimensions of 150 mm (width) 150 mm (length) 3 mm (thickness) and taken to the hot press, after which it underwent heating at a temperature of 110 °C for a duration of 10 minutes, while being subjected to a significant pressure of 250 bar. Tensile properties, impact properties, flexural properties, morphological characterization, water absorption, and thickness swelling were all measured on the prepared bio-composites. Among the CTS fractions, DP/CTS20 has the highest tensile strength (24.04 MPa) and tensile modulus (4.93 GPa), flexural strength (45.11 MPa), and impact strength (2.70 J/m2). The scanning electron microscope exposes the properties of fibres and polymers, as well as the reason for tensile test deficiency. Remarkably, bio-composites with higher CTS content have elevated moisture content and dimensional instability. Generally, we diagnosis that DP/CTS20 had the best tensile, flexural, and impact properties, as well as the highest water absorption and thickness swelling of any CTS compositions. The discovery improved our knowledge of bio-composite implementation trends, allowing us to assess their potential for more dependable implementations of much more sustainable green products. Furthermore, material enhancements such as bio-epoxy toughening to change the ductility behavior to improve energy absorption or natural fibre pretreatment can improve interbonding between the matrix and filler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]