The influence of the coconut fiber treated as reinforcement in PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate) composites

This study evaluated how the treatment of coconut fiber (CF) affected the fiber itself and the composites prepared with treated and in nature coconut fiber used as reinforcement in PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate) as a polymeric matrix. The coconut fiber in nature (CFi) underwent to a thermochemical treatment (CFt) with hot water (80 °C). The efficiency of treatment was evaluated by FT-IR analysis. The FT-IR and scanning electron microscope results showed partial removal of impurities such as waxes. The composites of (PHB/CFi or PHB/CFt) with weight rate of 90/10 and 80/20 were characterized by thermal and morphological properties. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the presence of fiber in the PHB matrix improved thermal stability of the composite. The SEM analysis of the microstructure showed ta good interfacial adhesion between the PHB and coconut fiber especially when treated fiber was used.