Properties of Composite Films from Sugarcane Bagasse, Coconut Coir, and Water Hyacinth Fibers/Poly(Vinyl Chloride)

Composite films from sugarcane bagasse fibers (SBF), coconut coir fibers (CCF) and water hyacinth fibers (WHF)/poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) were successfully fabricated by solvent-casting technique. Fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide alkali solution and followed by vinyltriethoxysilane solution. Both untreated fibers (USBF, UCCF, and UWHF) and treated fibers (TSBF, TCCF, and TWHF) were incorporated into PVC solutions at concentrations of 5-15% w/w based on total solid weight. The average diameters of TSBF, TCCF, and TWHF were 145±17 μm, 164±15 μm, and 128±12 μm, respectively. Tensile strengths of PVC/treated fibers were higher than those of PVC/untreated fibers. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break of composite films were lower than those of neat PVC films. In case of PVC/TSBF and PVC/TCCF, tensile strength and modulus were decreased, whereas, these properties of PVC/TWHF were increased with increasing amount of fibers. Among these composite films, PVC/15TWHF had the highest tensile strength and modulus which were 7.1±0.2 and 350±27 MPa, respectively. Composite films of PVC/15TSBF, PVC/15TCCF, and PVC/15TWHF were thermally stable than the neat PVC film. The amounts of water absorption of composite films were increased with time and with increasing amount of fibers. The results showed the potential for using PVC/natural fiber composite films in packaging application in which the tensile strength and tensile modulus were comparable to that of conventional film such as low density polyethylene (LDPE).