The possibility of agricultural-forestry waste (rice husks) and biodegradable plastics (poly(lactic acid)) being used to produce ecologically friendly foam composite was discussed in this work. The effects of different material parameters (the dosage of PLA-g-MAH, type and content of chemical foaming agent) on the microstructure and physical properties of composite were investigated. PLA-g-MAH promoted the chemical grafting between cellulose and PLA, and made the structure denser, thus improving the interface compatibility of the two phases and resulting in good thermal stability, high tensile strength (6.99 MPa) and bending strength (28.85 MPa) of composites. Furthermore, the properties of rice husk/PLA foam composite prepared by two kinds of foaming agents (endothermic and exothermic) were characterized. The addition of fiber limited the growth of pores, which provided better dimensional stability and narrower pore size distribution, made the interface of the composite bond tightly. And the bubble can prevent crack propagation and improve the mechanical properties of the composite. The bending strength and tensile strength of composite were 37.36 MPa and 25.32 MPa, which increased by 28.35 % and 23.27 %, respectively. Therefore, the composite prepared by using agricultural-forestry wastes and poly(lactic acid) possess acceptable mechanical properties, thermal stability and water resistance, expanding the scope of application.
Keywords: Agricultural-forestry waste; Foam agents; Interface bond.
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