Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)/Thermoplastic Sago Starch (TPSS) Blend Filled with Kenaf Core Fiber (KCF)

摘要

Recently, blending of common hydrocarbon polymer with natural based materials has gain much interest towards the development of degradable composite. In this study, a series of low density polyethylene (LDPE)/thermoplastic sago starch (TPSS) blend reinforced with kenaf core fiber (KCF) with starch content ranging from 10 to 40 % were prepared via melt-blending method. For this study, kenaf loading was fixed at 20 % (by weight). The blended samples were characterized by means of tensile test and morphological study. The experimental result shows that there is a gradual decrease in tensile strength, modulus and elongation at break with increase in starch loading. The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) supports the findings of tensile properties.