Morphology of PLA/Cellulose Composites

Polymer composites have a wide range of applications and have been extensively used to fabricate different materials. However, synthetic polymers cause environmental pollution, increase global warming and energy requirement. Therefore, in recent years, researchers have been focusing on developing composites using biopolymer. Biopolymers have received great research interest in the academic and industrial fields due to environmental challenges and global warming. Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the frequently used biopolymers in the composite industry as it is biodegradable, non-toxic, easily available, and possesses superb properties. The properties especially mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of PLA-based system could be enhanced with the addition of fillers. Owing to its eco-friendly nature, natural fibers have been frequently used to reinforce PLA polymer composites. The surface modification further enhances the compatibility of natural fiber with the polymer matrix, and hence possesses good performance than the unmodified system. This chapter discusses the structure and surface morphology of PLA/cellulose composite using different techniques such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy.