Investigation of biodegradability behavior, thermal properties and morphology of poly caprolactone/ poly lactic acod/ crystal nanocellulose nanocomposites

This study aimed to investigate the biodegradability behavior and thermal properties of polycaprolactone / polylactic acid / nanocrystalline cellulose nanocomposites. Polycaprolactone and polylactic acid were dissolved in chloroform in ratios of 100/0, 95/5, 90/10, and 80/20%, and cellulose nanocrystals were added to the compounds at levels of 0, 0.5, 1, and 3%. Nanocomposites were prepared by solvent casting method. Then, their biodegradability behavior in the soil environment was investigated. The thermal properties of nanocomposites were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry tests. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was also used for the microscopic study of nanocomposites. The results showed that with increasing cellulose nanocrystals to 1%, the mass loss of nanocomposites increased, but adding 3% of it led to a decrease in the mass loss of nanocomposites. With the increase of polylactic acid, up to 10%, the mass loss of the composites decreased, but the addition of 20% of it led to a decrease in the mass loss of the composites. The addition of cellulose nanocrystals to polycaprolactone increased its thermal resistance, but the addition of polylactic acid reduced this resistance. The results of scanning electron microscopy confirmed the degradation of nanocomposites in the soil.