College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Materials Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Materials Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Materials Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Materials Engineering
Date
6-2025
Primary Advisor
Trevor Harding, College of Engineering, Materials Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) and ground pistachio shells are combined into a biocomposite with 15 wt% shells through compression molding. To improve interfacial bonding, shells were treated by alkali cleaning and functionalized with tetraethoxysilane before processing. Two biocomposite sample types were fabricated: PLA/shells and PLA/shells/chemical additives. The chemical additives (maleic anhydride and dicumbyl peroxide) were investigated to improve matrix and reinforcement bonding. Difficulties in processing resulted in four testable samples. Mechanical property testing showed that plain PLA samples performed the best on average. Incorporation of the additives increased both ultimate tensile strength and Young’s modulus by 50% as compared to shells without additives. DSC and FTIR showed that thermal properties and chemical bonds were as expected. Overall, more samples are necessary to produce statistically accurate claims.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/matesp/281