Biodegradable composites of poly(lactic acid) with cellulose fibers polymerized by aluminum triflate

Biodegradable polymer composites consisting of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and cellulose fibers (CF) were prepared by our newly developed method. L-Lactic acid (LA) was reacted by ring-opening polymerization with aluminum triflate as a catalyst, glycerol as an initiator and CF as a filler, in simple plastic tubes at 100 T for 6 hours. By this method, CF could be mixed with the polymer matrix easily and homogeneously. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the PLA matrix were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The M. of the composite samples decreased from 6200 to 2800 with increasing CF content. The molecular weight distribution of composites was around 2.5 regardless of the CF content. Biodegradation of samples was determined by measuring the results from the Microbial Oxidative Degradation Analyzer (MODA) and the weight loss in compost. Biodegradation of composite samples of PLA with CF increases with increasing CF content as measured by the MODA. Apparent density of composite samples was calculated by using the weight and sizes of column shape specimens. The density of the composite samples was a bit lower than that of PLA pure samples without CF. Mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus and strength were investigated by compression tests using column shape specimens. For the sample with filter paper as CF, the strength of composite samples increases with increasing CF content.