The dried sample cake was found to have a two-layered
structure consisting of a self-standing PDLLA-filled CNF sheet
on top of a loosely bonded layer of precipitated microparticles.
The bottom layer of the microparticles would crumble intofine
powder when pressed by hand and could be dissolved into
ethyl acetate as a clear solution, showing no sign of CNF
presence. The PDLLA-CNF sheets were removed from the
cakes and were compression-molded using stainless-steel
picture-frame molds (1.4 mm thick) on a Carver Laboratory
Press (Carver Inc., Wabash, IN) at 105°C and 90 psi (0.6
MPa). Three composites were prepared. Their actual weight
contents were calculated to be 8, 15, and 32% by dividing the
dry weight of the loaded CNF by the weight of the molded
composites