Use and advantage of Red algae fiber as reinforcement of Biocomposite

홍조류 섬유를 보강재로 사용한 바이오복합재료의 특성

Biocomposite was organized with biodegradable polymer and natural fiber that has potential to be used as replacement for glass fiber reinforced polymer composite with the benefits of low cost, low density, acceptable specific strength, biodegradability, etc. Until now, non-wood fibers have been used as reinforcements of biocomposite which are all plant-based fibers. The present study focused on investigating the fabrication and characterization of biocomposite reinforced with red algae fiber. The bleached red algae fiber(BRAF) showed very similar crystallinity to the cellulose. It has high stability against thermal degradation (maximum thermal decomposition temperature of 359.3$^{\circ}C$) and thermal expansion. Biocomposites reinforced with BRAF have been fabricated by a compression molding method and their mechanical and thermal properties have been studied. The storage modulus and the thermomechanical stability of PBS matrix are markedly improved with reinforcing the BRAF. These results support that the red algae fiber can be used as an excellent reinforcement of biocomposites as "green-composite" or "eco-composite".