Properties of economical and eco-friendly polybutylene adipate terephthalate composites loaded with surface treated coffee husk

In this study, we have fabricated ecofriendly and economical polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) composites loaded with various concentrations of coffee husks (CH) to investigate the effects on the PBAT and CH interfaces as well as the physical properties of the composites. Contact angle (CA) measurements revealed that the silane-treated CH (T-CH) is more hydrophobic than the raw CH, which improved its compatibility with PBAT. Morphological analysis of the composites revealed that the matrix exhibited greater interfacial interactions with T-CH compared to other derivatized PBATs. The elongation at break revealed a unique increase from 325% (neat PBAT) to 500%. The tensile strength, and Young's and storage moduli of the 40 wt% T-CH is greater than that of neat PBAT, indicating its superiority. Furthermore, the addition of 40 wt% CH to PBAT reduced the cost of the composite by 32%, making it economically competitive with other commercial polymers. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd