3.2. Rheological properties
Fig. 2 showed the MFI values for the neat PLA, PLA + PHB, and CNF composites. The MFI of the PLA + PHB (90:10) composite was higher than that of PLA because of the melt viscosity of pure PHB being too lower compared to PLA. The incorporation of CNF reduced the fluidity of PLA, which increased the elastic modulus of a composite or the viscosity of a fluid suspension . The MFI also decreased with increasing CNF loading, and it indicated that the structure of CNF was interconnected to hinder the molecular motion of polymer chains. The MFI value of the neat
PLA was 8.9 g/10 min. and decreased to 3.1 g/10 min