Study of the mechanical properties of polylactide composites with jute reinforcements

Concern has arisen in recent years over the excessive use of oil-based materials, making the development of new materials with a low environmental impact all the more urgent. In this study, environmentally friendly composites were obtained using a thermoplastic polylactide (PLA) matrix with jute fibers (fabrics and non-woven mats) as reinforcement. PLA/jute biocomposites were manufactured by thermocompression. The effect of the amount of jute fiber reinforcement (in the 30–50 wt.% range) on the tensile and flexural properties of these composites was analyzed, and the fiber–matrix interaction was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that thermocompression molding is a simple technique for obtaining high-environmental-efficiency biocomposites with high reinforcement loadings (up to 50 wt.%). As expected, the tensile properties are directly related to the amount of fiber loading, as well as the directionality of these fibers in the composite. Mechanical performance is also highly dependent on fiber–matrix interactions. These biocomposites could be attractive as lightweight interior panels in the automotive industry, cases/covers in electric/electronic applications, and turbine blade components in the wind energy industry, among others, due to their balanced mechanical properties and the rather complex shapes that could be obtained by thermocompression.