Cellulose fibers reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) bio-composites were developed by means
of extrusion and injection molding process. The thermal properties of the developed biocomposites
were investigated by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA results provided
an upper limit of thermal processing window. The rheological properties of bio-composites
showed shear thinning behavior and predicted a suitable temperature profile for processing
the bio-composites. Heat distortion temperature of PLA/wood fibers (WP)/bioadimide
bio-composites was slightly improved which could result in high temperature service life.
Good interaction between short fibers and PLA resulted in better mechanical properties.
With the addition of 1.3% bioadimide (bio-additive), tensile strength of bio-composites
increased significantly. The impact strength of bio-composites was also considerably
increased due to addition of bio-additive with bio-composites. This novel bio-additive
was found very effective not only for fiber–matrix adhesion but also processability of
bio-composites. X-ray computed tomography (CT) demonstrated cellulose fibers orientation
and the fiber–matrix networking microstructures in a composite system.