Physical properties of green composites based on poly-lactic acid or Mater-Bi® filled with Posidonia Oceanica leaves

This work focuses on the evaluation of Posidonia Oceanica leaves as effective reinforcing agent for ecofriendly, fully biodegradable polymer composites. Posidonia leaves were washed, ground and sieved in order to achieve two different size distributions and aspect ratios. They were then added to either a stiff or a ductile biodegradable polymer matrix, respectively poly-lactic acid (PLA) and MaterBi® (MB), at two different filler contents (10 wt% and 20 wt%). The materials were fully characterized from a spectroscopic, morphological, rheological, and mechanical point of view. In particular, the outcomes of tensile tests were statistically analyzed by using a Full Factorial Design in order to examine the main effect of type of polymer, filler size and filler content (as well as their mutual interactions) on two properties of great concern, such as elastic modulus and toughness.