Kenaf-fiber-reinforced poly(lactic acid) used for electronic products

We have developed high-performance biomass-based plastics that consist of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and kenaf fiber, which fixates CO2 efficiently. Adding this fiber to PLA greatly increases its heat resistance (distortion temperature under load) and modulus and also enhances its crystallization, so the ease of molding this material is improved. Eliminating the short particles from the kenaf fiber improves its effect on the impact strength. Kenaf fiber without the particles exhibits effects on these characteristics of PLA practically comparable to the effects of glass fiber. Furthermore, adding a flexibilizer (a copolymer of lactic acid and aliphatic Polyester) to the composites improves their strength. These composites (PLA/kenaf fiber and PLA/ kenaf fiber/ flexibilizer) show good practical characteristics for housing materials of electronic products in comparison with petroleum-based plastics used in housing such as glassfiber-reinforced acrylonitrile-butadien-styrene (ABS) resin. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.