Mechanical and thermal properties of rice husk/glass fiber/polylactic acid composites

Polylactic acid (PLA) composites reinforced with rice husk and glass fiber can improve the properties in the aera of the material for vehicle application. In this work, the PLA composite was made and its properties were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM observed that the polymer matrix contained a uniform dispersion of 10 wt% rice husks. The tensile strength and bending strength of the composite are 45.8 and 48.2 MPa, respectively, which are 52% and 41% higher than that of the base material PLA. TGA revealed that the thermal stability of the composite deteriorated with increasing rice husk content. The DTG curve indicated that the incorporation of rice husk and glass fiber led to a reduction in the maximum degradation rate of the PLA matrix. As a result, the thermal degradation of the PLA composite exhibited enhanced stability. The average apparent activation energy (Ea) of the composite, determined using the Friedman (FD), Flynn Wall Ozawa (FWO), Starink (ST), and Kissinger (KS) models, falls within the range of 90 to 120 kJ mol-1.Highlights Silane coupling agent was used to improve the interfacial compatibility of fillers. The synergistic action of rice husk and glass fiber fillers enhances the mechanical properties of polylactic acid composites. The mean apparent activation energy (Ea) of the composite was calculated using four models, with values in the range of 90 to 120 kJ mol-1. The Flynn Wall Ozawa and Starink models showed better stability against temperature changes compared to the Friedman model. The composite of rice husk, glass fiber, and polylactic acid was processed through twin-screw extrusion and subsequently injection molded to form samples. The formulation with 10wt% rice husk and 6wt% glass fiber exhibited the optimal tensile and flexural properties, reaching 45.8 MPa and 48.2 MPa, respectively. This represents a significant enhancement over the properties of pure polylactic acid. image