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Development and Characterization of PHB-PLA/Corncob Composite for Fused Filament Fabrication

The development of environmentally friendly polymeric composites holds great potential for agricultural leftovers. This study explores the effects of lignocellulosic corncob powder as a filler in a polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)/polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer matrix. The PHB-PLA matrix consists of a 55% to 45% blend, respectively, while the filler loadings range from 0 wt.% to 8 wt.%. The components are combined and directly extruded into fused filaments for three-dimensional (3D) printing. The tensile strength of both the filament and dog-bone samples, flexural strength, and Charpy impact toughness of the composites, all decreased as filler loading increased. The tensile and flexural modulus of all samples examined improved noticeably with increasing filler loading. The filler particles had dense, mildly elongated sheet-like shapes, whereas the fractured surfaces of the composite samples had flat features for the pure polymer blend, but became rougher and jagged as filler loading increased. The fractured surface of Charpy impact test samples had smoother morphology when tested at cryogenic temperatures, compared to room temperature testing. All attributes showed a fourth-degree polynomial relationship to filler loading and all improved as filler loading increased, with the best results obtained at 6 wt.% loading.