Novel Sericin/Viscose Rayon-Based Biocomposite: Preparation and Characterization

Abstract

Biocomposite film of viscose rayon filament (VF) and sericin was prepared by a solvent casting method. Sericin was extracted from Bombyx mori cocoons and was used as a matrix, in which viscose rayon filaments were used as a reinforcing material. Different amount of VF (i.e., 15, 20, and 25 wt.%) were used in the biocomposites manufacturing. The effect of various amounts of VF on the mechanical properties of sericin-viscose rayon biocomposite (SVB) were characterized by tensile tests. Moreover, FTIR, TGA, XRD, and SEM analysis were performed to investigate the thermal behavior, the crystallinity and the morphology of the resulting biocomposites, respectively. The tensile strength and elongation at break increased with increasing loading of VF in the matrix. The tensile modulus of the composite films showed a linear, additive dependence on the mixing ratio. The strong hydrogen bonding between sericin and VF was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The decomposition temperature of SVB was higher than VF and sericin indicating its enhanced thermal stability. VF was uniformly impregnated in the sericin matrix as confirmed by the SEM analysis. Resultant biocomposite can find application in various fields like medical textile, automobile, etc.

Keywords

• bombyx mori cocoons
• sericin
• viscose rayon filament
• biocomposite
• thermal stability
• tensile strength