Chapter 63 Mechanical and Crystallization Behaviour of Sisal Fiber and Talc Reinforced Polylactic Ac

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the widely studied renewable resource based bioplastic material which has huge potential to be on par with the commercial synthetic plastics. Commercial grades of neat PLA is yet to gain a strong commercial standpoint in applications other than packing and drug delivery system. The major barrier in the commercialization of PLA based products is its poor toughness and low heat resistance. This work focuses on the preparation of sisal fiber and talc reinforced PLA composites and investigates the effect of talc on the natural fiber reinforced biodegradable PLA composites on mechanical and thermal characteristics.The results indicate that the mechanical and thermal characteristics of the PLA composites are improved when compared to that of neat PLA. Tensile Strength has been increased by 16.7% when compared to neat PLA and maximum impact strength of about 32 J/m is achieved. Crystallinity of composites has also been improved up to 5.74%.